The Two Faces of Tsuna
by FruitPastilles
Summary: Sawada Tsunayoshi has a Multiple Personality Disorder. He doesn't know it. His parents don't know it. It was all found out because of an incident shortly after entering the High School Division of Vongola Academy as his past starts to dig itself back out. All27. Magic-Au.
1. Chapter 1

**The Two Faces of Tsuna**

**Summary: **Sawada Tsunayoshi is a schizophrenic. He doesn't know it. His parents don't know it. It was all found out because of an incident shortly after entering the High School Division of Vongola Academy and his past starts to dig itself back out. All27. Magic-Au.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

**Chapter One – The Two Faced TunaFish**

Tsuna blinked blearily as he woke up, his alarm clock ringing in his ears. Silently, he reached over and slammed his hand down on it, managing to shut the device up. Peering at the time, his eyes widened imperceptibly and he sat upright, throwing himself out of the bed.

His dorm was empty. That wasn't surprising, however. Nobody wanted to room with 'Dame-Tsuna'. He didn't mind though, the name had stuck with him for around six years anyway. Having nobody want to stay with him gave him room to do what he wanted to do and he didn't have to clean up after himself. More often than not, it was peaceful.

Tsuna dressed in almost record time, discarding his pajamas on the floor and tugging on the school uniform. As he walked into the adjoined kitchen, the tie around his neck tied itself with just a bare thought. It was the only time that Tsuna let himself use magick in such a carefree attitude. At school he didn't dare use it. He had a sort of intuition that told him if he let go and used his magick like he was expected to, the results would be disastrous, especially around others. He heeded his intuition.

Digging through the kitchen and not finding anything suitable to eat, he simply picked up a piece of fruit from where it was sat in a bowl on a kitchen counter, walking towards the door to slip on his school shoes. He summoned his bag with a flick of his finger, feeling the magick stirring restlessly within him and he ruthlessly squashed it down without a care.

After checking his bag, he left the room and entered the corridor, peering around before walking towards the staircase that would lead downstairs and to the outside. He quickly tottered down them, slipping on the last step and swaying forward before he caught the banister to steady himself. Raucous laughter followed his actions, coupled with harsh calls, jeers and mockery.

Tsuna brushed them off without a care, keeping his face steady and blank as he walked outside of the dorm building and into the large courtyard, eyes automatically lifting towards the sky. His dorm building, shared by dozens others, was named 'Decimo' or 'Ten' in Italian. It was one of many buildings that housed students of the prestigious 'Vongola Academy', an Academy set aside for those adept or who had links to the art known as Magick.

No, you heard right. Every student present on the grounds that Vongola Academy encompassed could use _Magick_ no matter how big or small the spell. More often than not, the students would come from rich families, those who had gained success with their abilities and used them to move ahead in life.

Magick wasn't common, but it certainly wasn't rare. It was true that Vongola Academy was the only of its kind, but many out there who _weren't _human had access to magick as well, many of which no doubt attended the school but were expected to keep themselves hidden. This could include anything from fairies to the legendary beings known as 'Arcobaleno'. However, with only seven alive at the present day, the likelihood of one being seen was very slim, even at such a place as Vongola. Besides, one probably couldn't distinguish between another species and humans, since such was the way with magic.

Magick, within the grounds of Vongola Academy and certainly across most of the world, was referred to commonly as 'Flames of the Sky'. The Flames follow the colours of the rainbow from the volatile and destructive Storm Red to the illusionists Mist Indigo. Six of the seven Flames have mostly the same degree of power. The Sky Orange Flame is the rarest and most powerful of the Flames, being greatly revered and coveted. The Sky Flame was undoubtedly the most powerful of all magickal Flames. All manners of magick could be utilised, instead of the wielder being limited to only a handful of magick types.

Only two young men within the Academy were known to have Sky Flames and they were the brothers Giotto and Dino. There were whispers and rumours of a girl having the desirable Sky Flame, but her name was yet to be discovered.

Tsuna didn't know what his Flame was, nor did he care. A plain silver band sat on the middle finger of his right hand, and that's how he wished for it to stay. When one used their magick for a long time, their Flame would light up the ring in the colour responding to their attribute and so the spell would be cast. Those with more powerful Flames would not only have their rings light up, but sometimes their hands and in stronger cases, the forearms and forehead. If the control over the magick isn't kept, then magickal burns can easily occur.

When a person first uses magick powerful enough to stimulate their ring, then a gem responding to their Flame would appear set within the silver, proclaiming to the world what magick and what Flame was used by the wielder.

Tsuna would rather stick to simple magick and _not_ learn what his Flame of the Sky was. He was happy being labelled Dame-Tsuna for his inability to harness enough magick to coax out his Flame. Besides, he always felt it stirring within him restlessly, churning back and forth, willing him to let it free and every time he refused it, ignored it.

Tsuna only realised he had been staring at the sky with a longing expression when the warning chimes that signalled the start of class started ringing out across the courtyard. He squealed in panic under his breath and took off at a run towards the large building set aside for the HighSchool of the Academy, hoping vehemently he wouldn't run into the harsh pair of prefects known to roam the school grounds to punish late students.

When he burst into the classroom almost ten minutes after the bell had rung, he felt the telltale flicker of magick wrap around his ankles and trip him up. He landed on the floor, chin first and bit his tongue in the process. He stood up quickly, waving off the teacher's concern even as snickers sounded from the rest of the classroom.

After dusting himself down and apologising for being late, Tsuna made his way through the room towards his seat. Giving his desk a quick onceover, he deduced that his seat and table were free of any traps and pranks, magickal or otherwise and sat down heavily.

Setting his bag on the floor out of reach from anyone else, rest his elbow on the table, set his chin to rest on his palm and closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep. He was just about drifting off when something poked his side gently. Deciding it was something best worth ignoring he gave response to it.

The next jab was harder, right in his ribcage and caused him to yelp, everyone turning in the class to face him. Even the teacher had stopped, eyeing him curiously. "Something the matter, Sawada-san?" he questioned quietly, though his soft voice betrayed his displeasure at being interrupted.

"Not at all sensei. Please excuse my rude interruption," Tsuna replied eyes intently forward and not daring to meet those of the teacher. When the class restarted, he was prodded again, a lot softer and this time it was accompanied by someone murmuring to him.

"Hey...hey, Sawada-san. Sawada-san, hey."

Tsuna turned in his seat slowly to face the boy next to him. Yamamoto Takeshi grinned when he saw that he had Tsuna's attention.

"Sorry about that hard poke. I don't know my own strength sometimes," he gave a sheepish laugh and, when it looked as if Tsuna was about to turn his attention away again Yamamoto quickly spoke, "Ah...do you get this?" he gestured weakly to the front of the room.

Tsuna almost had to stifle a snort and simply shook his head, turning away from Yamamoto. The other boy regarded him silently for a moment before shrugging and facing the class himself again.

Tsuna regard Yamamoto from the corner of his eye, already hearing the whispers going on behind him because of their exchange. That was no surprise though; even Tsuna was wondering why the popular sports player was asking _him_ a question out of all the people available. He just hoped it wouldn't turn out bad for him in the end, as most things tended to. At the very least, most bullies weren't very inventive, just turning to pathetic jibes and small shoves. The most that Tsuna ever came out of an encounter with was bruises, a fractured rib and a split lip. He was unhappy to say it, but he, unfortunately, was used to it all.

Soon enough the end of class started to come to a close without anything else disturbing Tsuna, aside from the one time he was asked a question by the teacher, a question he failed to give the correct answer for. This set the class into hysterics and catcalls of 'Stupid Tsuna, Dame-Tsuna!'. Even the teacher was trying to hide the fact that the corner of his mouth was trying to turn up just slightly.

Tsuna ignored it all and, when the bells started chiming again, he was the first to get to his feet, sweep his stuff into his bag and leave without being given permission by the teacher. It was usual of him to do so, after all. He hated getting caught up in the rush of students.

The next class he had was a practical class, something he normally failed at because of his refusal of using his magick. During that time, he, more often than not, would skip and go to the rooftop. However, this lesson he knew he had to attend because of a guest coming in to speak to them about the use of magick.

When it came to arriving at any lesson after the first, Tsuna would normally be in the classroom before any other because of his abrupt leave of the class before. Today, as he slowly entered the room, this wasn't the case.

Sat on the front desk where the teacher normally stood was a young man in a black suit, a fedora with an orange band sitting on his head. His eyes, though shaded by the hat, were seen as closed. Tsuna immediately noticed that this person had a partner, a chameleon that was settled on his shoulder, unblinking eyes immediately turning to Tsuna.

Tsuna suppressed a shudder that wanted to run through him and made his way towards the back. He was halfway down the room when a voice called out, "Name?"

He couldn't help but flinch, cursing at his reaction under his breath as he turned around. The man was awake and had tilted the hat back, staring evenly at Tsuna with dark eyes. Tsuna simply stared back before muttering, mostly to himself, "It's customary to offer one's name before asking another's." Clearing his throat and unaware that he had been heard, he replied quietly, "Sawada Tsunayoshi. Who are you?"

The man smirked and Tsuna took half a step back at the expression on his face, unable to help himself.

"I'm Reborn," the man finally and lazily replied, pushing himself to stand up off of the desk and approach Tsuna. When he was in front of Tsuna, he looked down at him, still smirking, "Sun Flame. You?"

Tsuna was just stared at him impassively for a long moment, processing his name before clapping his hands gently together as recognition crossed his face. "Ah. Reborn. You're two years ahead of me, right? I remember you somewhat from Middle School."

"Correct." Reborn nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants. "You gonna answer my question?"

"None."

Reborn blinked for a moment, before he was resorted to asking, "Pardon?"

"None. I have none of the Flames to my name."

"Dame-Tsuna, don't you know it's bad not to know your Flame?" Reborn tutted, ignoring Tsuna's twitch of recognition at his nickname, something that had obviously spread to the upper years, "I suppose it's good I'm here, hmm? It won't be too hard to teach you a simple spell that'll coax you Flame out."

Tsuna felt something within him coil and twist, building and forcing its way through him, screaming at him to _let it out, let me out, let go._ Tsuna was only aware that he had spaced out again as Reborn suddenly slapped his hands down on his shoulders. "Oi, are you listening to me?"

"No thank you." Tsuna tilted his head up, chin jutting out defiantly in his reply. "I don't want your help in letting my Flame out." _Let me out, let me out, just let me out already!_

Reborn gave a wide grin, one that made Tsuna shudder.

"I ain't giving you a choice, Dame-Tsuna. You're learning, whether you want to or not."

"Absolutely no way," was Tsuna's blunt reply, something that made Reborn frown. Before he could respond, there was a gasping noise from the doorway. "It's Reborn-senpai! Reborn-senpai's here to be our guest!"

Tsuna slipped away mostly unnoticed by the rest of the class as girls and boys alike crowded around Reborn, taking his seat and laying his head on the desk. When the teacher finally arrived, the crowd of students took their seats, obviously excited.

Tsuna mostly hoped that the lesson would go smoothly and quietly. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Even as he tuned out Reborn's speech on magick he was brought back to the present from his wondering thoughts when Reborn said his name loudly and clearly, "Sawada Tsunayoshi. To the front here."

"Eh? Reborn-senpai, pick me!" someone instantly called, followed by several others shouts of indignation.

'Yeah, pick someone else,' Tsuna sourly thought to himself as he pushed to his feet. There was a firm pat on his lower back and a cheerful, "How lucky Sawada-san! Do your best!" from Yamamoto. Tsuna had been shoved gently forward by the movement and sluggishly made his way down the aisle towards the front of the class.

Standing next to Reborn, he spaced out as Reborn addressed the class again. His attention was brought back when Reborn tapped his shoulder. "Now, I'm going to show you a spell Tsunayoshi, t – "

"Tsuna," Tsuna abruptly interrupted, "Call me Tsuna."

Reborn raised an eyebrow before smiling just slightly. "Tsuna. I'm going to show you a spell. The movements, the incantation, and I want you to copy it to show the class." Reborn lifted his right hand and Tsuna took the time to notice that his ring differed from most students. Perhaps because he was older, that could be the reason.

Reborn moved his hand slowly through the air, murmuring the words to invoke the magick. His ring flared yellow with his Sun Flame, the class showing their appraisal with whispering. When the incantation was finished, the Flame burned brighter and suddenly gave off a show similar to very tiny fireworks, small sparkles shaped like stars bursting forth from Reborn's palm and dancing around his hand. When they had receded, Reborn grinned. "Your turn, Dame-Tsuna." He had pitched his voice so only Tsuna had heard him.

Tsuna gave him his best unimpressed look, though it was an expression akin to a kicked puppy. Sighing heavily in defeat, he held out his right hand, stretching his fingers gently. Without conviction in his voice, and waving his hand with sluggish movements, Tsuna hoped to mess up the form of the spell enough that his magick wouldn't respond. His wishes were granted as he got not even as much as a fizzle from his ring or hand. He started to make his way back to his seat when Reborn grabbed his shoulder, that almost sinister smile crossing his face again.

"I'll guide you through the movements. Everyone else." He faced the class briefly. "With partners, so your Flames don't get out of control, I want you to practice the same spell. If you already know it, then let your partner attempt it and use to magick to try and snuff out the light it causes, got me?" When the class gave the affirmative, Reborn turned back to Tsuna.

Tsuna glared back at him, telling himself that the look on his face was scary, not a pout. Reborn lifting his hand to his mouth to stifle his snort of laughter told him otherwise.

Shaking his head, Reborn gestured to Tsuna. "Turn around, back to me."

Tsuna did as he was told, deciding that going along would be less painful than what Reborn might devise for him if he disagreed. He knew the older male had a lot of power in the way of the school's working. He gave a stifled shriek as Reborn suddenly leaned against his back, chin on his shoulder as his arms encircled him, hands holding onto Tsuna's wrists gently.

"Now. I'm going to tell you the words and you copy them while I move your hands, got that?"

Tsuna could only nod dumbly, willing himself not to shiver as Reborn's breath brushed his ear. How he wished he had _not_ gotten out of bed that day.

Dutifully, he copied Reborn's words as he recited them to him, letting him move his hand. Halfway through the incantation, Tsuna heard his voice hitch and Reborn immediately stopped. "Nope. Again."

"I-I don't want to." Tsuna hadn't meant to stutter, eyes firmly on his feet, but fear was starting to dig its claws into him. His mouth was parted as he sucked in gentle breaths.

"Again." Reborn's voice was firm as his fingers tightened on slim wrists and Tsuna went along again. He got three quarters through the incantation when this time, his voice broke completely. His mouth opened wider as his breathing turned heavier, licking his lips because they were suddenly dry. Reborn was either ignoring his discomfort, didn't realise it or took some sort of pleasure in it as he repeated in an almost singsong voice, "Again, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna didn't know why he listened. He was pretty sure that if you were scared or uncomfortable around magick, you were allowed to stop no matter the circumstances (unless they were life or death) but he still went along, copying after Reborn once more.

When the last word left his lips, he felt as if something in him had broken. Magick rushed through him, pushing, shoving its way, desperate to get out. He was choking on it, unable to get air into his lungs even as he gasped for it, as if he were underwater. With every beat of his heart he felt burning in his fingertips, his arms, everywhere, that got hotter and hotter, until everything hurt. The feverish pleas that he heard on a nearly daily basis had risen to shouts, _let me out, let me out, let me OUT!_

This time, Tsuna replied to it out loud and hysterical, almost jerking free of Reborn had the man not kept a tight grip. "No! I won't!"

His scream stopped the magick in the classroom, everyone turning to look at him with curiosity and interest. Tsuna ignored their looks, gasping and breathing in deeply as if he'd never breathed before that point in his life. While he was sucking in the air – 'precious air, oh god I can breathe again' – he desperately shoved the rise of magick within him down again. But, where he'd normally been able to ignore it in life, this time it settled within him not as something small, but almost like a flickering flame, waiting for the moment that would let it flare up again, consume him from the inside.

A few moments later, he was aware of Reborn letting him go and whistling, "Damn. You should have just said you didn't want to practice magick." His eyes weren't on Tsuna, however. They were on his hands, where he had been holding the smaller boy's wrists. Not only were they slightly slick from the sweat that was by now covering Tsuna, almost head to toe, but they were bright red and _burnt_.

Tsuna kept his eyes on his feet, when a hand brushed back the hair from his forehead and a voice hissed softly, "Ah, that's warm. Teacher." Tsuna jerked as he recognised Yamamoto's voice. "Sawada-san has a fever, should I take him to the Infirmary?"

"I'll do it," Reborn broke in. "As this seems to be my fault. Besides, I have matters to tend there myself. I'm sure the class can handle itself just fine without me." His eyes drifted over to the teacher who nodded.

"Oh, but Reborn-senpai!" Someone in the class moaned. "Why can't you stay?" the calls were followed by a dozen more but Reborn simply smiled slightly, lifting his fedora from where it had been discarded on the desk so he could guide Tsuna. "Sorry guys, but seems since this is my fault, I should take responsibility, huh? Besides, I'm sure you can have fun with me."

His words didn't seem to dissuade the class from wanting him to stay as much as he hoped, but they agreed anyway, turning back to their partners to keep practicing.

"C'mon kid," Reborn muttered this to Tsuna, moving to rest a hand on the small boy's shoulder to guide him before remembering the state of his hands. Before Reborn had even touched him, Tsuna had flinched away, cowering gently. "I'll go by myself." Tsuna's voice was soft and blank of emotion as he edged towards the door. Reborn made it his duty to step to his side, sling an arm around his delicate shoulders to avoid touching with his hands and simply replied, "Nonsense. I'll take you."

Reborn pursed his lips as he felt the warmth still radiating from Tsuna that he could feel through the arm of his shirt and through Tsuna's shirt. "Must be some fever for you to suddenly burst out in class like that," he said nonchalantly, trying to instigate a conversation. He'd noticed, but paid no mind to it, that Tsuna was leaning into his side, as if he needed the support. Paying attention, he noticed that the boy's breathing was heavy, laboured. He frowned again.

"Yeah..." Tsuna said quietly, sounding faraway, his voice faint. Suddenly, he laughed bitterly to himself, speaking again, though this time he was hoarse. "Suppose I am Dame-Tsuna after all. Even if _Reborn-senpai_ tries to teach me, I can't use magick."

"Ara, don't think like that now. I suppose if you wanted, I could tutor you." Reborn didn't know what he was saying. "And then you – "

"No." Tsuna spat it out with ferocity. "I don't want to be taught any magick, I don't want a tutor."

At his outburst, Reborn glanced down at him, raising an eyebrow in surprise, not only because of the kid displaying a backbone, but because of the hatred in his voice when he had mentioned magick.

"Then, if that's the case, what prompted you to join a school that teaches _magick_ Tsuna?" he enquired curiously and Tsuna promptly stiffened against his side, going almost unnaturally tense and refusing to answer. Reborn didn't want to leave it at that, but he suppose he was happy enough for now. His interest was piqued; Tsuna was someone he wanted to know more of. Reborn often got what he wanted.

Due to the tense atmosphere, the remainder of the walk to the Infirmary was silent. Reborn opened the door with his elbow, feeling uncomfortable at the feel of Tsuna's eyes on his action. The look wasn't a normal one. Understanding and anger, mixed with a deeper sense of pain and fear swam within the brown eyes before abruptly disappearing again.

When Reborn swept his eyes around the room he noticed that one of the beds was occupied, a curtain drawn around it signalling its use even if no one could be seen. No doubt someone was sleeping and the nurse or doctor was tending to them. Instead of asking for help, Reborn led Tsuna over to a bed and shoved him on it, smirking at Tsuna's squawk because of the treatment.

Tsuna didn't complain for long however, crawling up the bed and resting his head on the pillow, staring at the window. His breathing was noticeably shallow, a fact Reborn noted with interest and just the slightest bit of concern.

"Whatcha looking at kid?" he finally asked and Tsuna simply retorted, "Why are you still here?"

"I have business to attend. Didn't you hear me Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn shook his head and then snorted when Tsuna chose not to reply. After a moment, he muttered, "I'm looking at the sky."

"Hmm? And why's that?"

Tsuna fell silent again, turning his gaze away from the window to watch his lap quietly, his face schooled to show no expression. Reborn watched him curiously for a moment before he stretched folding his arms gingerly. "Get some rest," he said gruffly, before deciding to leave. He had people to find and questions to ask about Sawada Tsunayoshi.

* * *

Tsuna returned to school the day after. However, news about Reborn paying 'special attention' to him had gotten around, and a lot of the looks he received were those of contempt and disgust. He was tripped and pushed a lot, but that's what his treatment stuck to until an incident during lunch.

Before he'd left the classroom, Yamamoto and cheerfully asked if he wanted to eat lunch with him. Tsuna had shook his head and kept on walking. He was walking down the corridor, when someone grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him into a classroom.

Roughly, he was pushed to sit heavily into a seat, someone grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking tight enough to make his eyes water. Tsuna looked up at the pull to see a girl stood there, frowning at him. If he remembered rightly, she was in his class, near the front. Behind her, stood what seemed to be a friend of hers and – 'ah...this isn't good,' Tsuna thought, grimacing at the sight of the man behind them. He was large, he wasn't part of the school, and the ring he somehow possessed was burning brightly in the Storm Red colour.

"How are you so friendly with Reborn-senpai, huh? He doesn't need someone like Dame-Tsuna pulling him down!" The girl who had a grip on his hair spat on his cheek and Tsuna felt himself flinch. He could try running. The thought passed by in his head as the spittle and saliva slid down his cheek. The idea was pushed down. They'd catch him with magick. He was sure if he tried struggling, there would probably be invisible bonds.

"I didn't realise I was being friendly." Tsuna winced as she tugged on his hair again and then slapped him across the face, nails scratching his skin. The pain was quick and fierce and Tsuna could feel blood welling in the gashes caused.

"You son of a bitch," the girl hissed at him before she shoved his head back, letting his hair go and causing him to jerk back, almost rocking the chair. The girl stared at him for a moment before she sneered and walked away to lean against a table, her friend following suit. "Do what you think is appropriate," she said offhandedly to the man. "I don't care what you do to Dame-Tsuna."

As soon as the girl finished speaking, Tsuna jerked himself to his feet and tried to make it to the door. The man quickly grabbed him by the front of the shirt and jerked him back around, ripping several buttons away from the piece of clothing, tearing it open. With a violent movement, he shoved Tsuna back into the seat, keeping his hand twisted in the fabric.

Tsuna gulped silently at the glowing ring too close to his face and neck. If the man used any offensive magick it just might just kill him – if he were lucky. The unlucky outcome would be having his face blown off and then his subconscious keeping him alive. With his attention on the hand fisted in his shirt, he missed the free arm that swung around and slammed into his stomach and lower ribcage with painful force in the form of a punch. Tsuna gasped out his pain, doubling over and spitting out blood from where he'd bitten his cheek by accident.

The man slowly pulled his hand away and then punched again. He did this three or four times more and by that point, tears were streaming down Tsuna's face against his will, lip bleeding from where he was chewing on it fiercely. Tsuna had barely anytime to prepare when the ring started glowing brighter. Tsuna was sweating, the skin close to the ring sweltering from the heat being generated.

It was silent for a moment and Tsuna dared to open his eyes from where he had closed them – only to have the hand with the ring slam as a fist into the side of the face where the scratches were. Tsuna almost screamed at the pain and, as it was, a breathless and loud shriek-squeal escaped him.

Moments later he was dribbling out the blood freely, eye starting to swell shut as he swayed in the seat. He was waiting for the next blow when a voice, crystal clear, seemed to whisper to him, _let me out Tsuna..._ accompanied with the words was a soothing wave that flowed through Tsuna's body, dulling the ache.

Tsuna closed his eyes, letting the words whisper through him. He didn't question why the clarity of the voice had improved as it rang through him, _come on Tsuna...let me out. Just relax and let me out. Let me help you. I'll make the pain leave again Tsuna._

"Yeah..." Tsuna mumbled out loud, startling the man though not dissuading him from his next punch against Tsuna's jaw, which rocked the teen's head back. Tsuna continued talking, even with a muffled voice. "Yeah...make the pain leave."

Tsuna let himself slump against the chair as he felt magick welling up inside him. He remembered it choking yesterday but now it just made the pain fade, made him feel better.

_Sleep Tsuna. I'll take care of the problem before you wake up._

Yeah. That sounded like a good idea. Within moments of the last words fading from his mind, Tsuna slipped out of consciousness, almost sliding from the chair because he was so limp.

Confused, the man faced the two girls. One of them waved him impatiently on. "Don't stop just because he's passed out! Keep going, he needs to learn his lesson."

The man turned to the task at hand. This time when his fist came close to Tsuna, the boy, lightning quick, jerked up a hand and caught his wrist in a grip far too tight. Giggling quietly, he lifted his head and grinned at the man, eyes almost glowing a brilliant orange. Before the man could respond, Tsuna's hand burst into flames, causing the man to shout out in pain as his skin started to burn.

This reaction had caused the girls to abruptly stand, staring at Tsuna with similar expressions of confusion and something akin to fear. One of them even asked the other, "Has Dame-Tsuna always been able to do that?" She didn't get an answer as Tsuna suddenly jerked his wrist and threw the man in an incredible display of strength, sending the burly form crashing into several desks and chairs.

"Ara, ara." Tsuna stood and dusted himself down, turning to face the girls. "I'm not Tsuna. Call me Tsunayoshi instead, hmm?" He cracked his knuckles and then threw his hands out to his sides. With an almost feral grin at the two students, the self proclaimed Tsunayoshi suddenly let his hands ignite in orange Sky Flames, something the girls noticed with a flinch.

Tsunayoshi stared at his hands, flexing his fingers as a similar Flame to those encompassing his hands starting growing on his forehead. He seemed interested in what he could do, before his attention was drawn to the man who was pulling himself up with a grunt. Tsunayoshi let another grin spread across his face before he suddenly appeared beside the man and grabbed him by the back of the head, slamming him face first into the desk with enough force to break the wood and shove his face into the ground instead, blood spraying from the man's nose as Tsunayoshi lifted his head again and slammed it back down, repeating this action. When the man fell unconscious, Tsunayoshi dismissed him and straightened, facing the girls. "Who's next, hmm?"

* * *

Reborn was walking the corridors to his next class, as lunch was ending. His hands were in his pockets and he was frowning in thought. He couldn't get Tsuna off of his mind. The day before he'd left the Infirmary and then returned about an hour later, just to check on the boy. He'd been sleeping, curled up on the bed and mumbling nonsense in his sleep.

After being happy that Tsuna was indeed okay, he'd left, questioning his act. Shaking his head firmly he tutted to himself, lifting a hand to Leon who was settled on his shoulder. "What's wrong with me, huh?" He was abruptly torn from his musings by what sounded similar to a large explosion and a shrill scream. It was so close that he automatically ducked down before straightening as the building stopped swaying.

Without a thought to his action, he ignited his right hand with his Sun Flame and ran down the corridor, soon encountering a door that had been blown clear off of its hinges. Cradling his arm by his side to hide the brightness of his Flame, he peered around the corner into the classroom. He very nearly gaped in shock.

The room had been torn to pieces. There was a strange man on the floor, unmoving. There were two girls wearing the school uniform in a similar state, unconscious but hopefully not dead. The entire wall that had once held the windows had been blown clear out, the debris landing on the floor below. Stood on the edge of the building, leaning towards the outside world and reaching his arms up to the sky was Sawada Tsunayoshi.

What shocked Reborn the most, however, though he would not show it, were the Sky Flames burning brightly on the boy's hands. Even as he watched, the Flames died away and Tsuna started to sway. Immediately Reborn darted forward, running across the room and grabbing hold of the back of Tsuna's shirt to keep him from falling the two storeys to the floor.

By this point, students and teachers were crowding in the hallway, attracted by the noise and destruction. Reborn simply turned to face them with Tsuna cradled in his arms realising he had nothing to say to them. Tsuna's right hand, hanging freely down by his side now held a ring that was not just simply silver, but held a dark orange stone within it.

* * *

So, I've gotten into Hitman Reborn lately. I'm sure that's pretty obvious. Yup, it's Yaoi/Shounen-Ai however you want to see it. If you get confused by anything, please don't hesitate to say anything lol. I don't think that my writing style is that consistent.

When it's his violent personality, the other side of him, I'll write his name as Tsunayoshi. When it's the normal him, simply Tsuna.

Want to give me an idea of what character you want in the next chapter?

Arcobaleno (Particular member?):  
Yamamoto Takeshi:  
Gokudera Hayato:  
Rokudo Mukuro:  
Sasagawa Ryohei:  
Dino:  
The Varia (Particular member?):  
Giotto:  
G:  
Knuckle:  
Asari:  
Alaude:  
Daemon:


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** For **Final Syai Lunar Generation,** 'The Arcobaleno' is its own category of choice instead of including the names, as is 'The Varia' option. It just means it includes all those within the groups, for example in The Varia it would Xanxus, Squalo, Belphegor, Fran, Levi, Lussuria etc. I just thought it would cause less confusion, seems as though I've caused more instead. And I accidentally forget to put Hibari's name. Sorry.

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or alerted!**

**I wrote replies to the reviews (sorry, couldn't help myself...) so if you want to see what I put, just find your name. I did them in the order the reviews were, but I'll try and put it alphabetically next time if possible.**

**Dustfeather1864** (I'm glad you liked it! I did want to call him Yoshi and that was how it went for a while, but it looked incredibly wrong so I decided on his full name instead.)

**Pucki/Anon?** (Hello! I'm happy you're interested in the story and its. I'm worried I'm not going to pull schizophrenia off right, but I'm trying my best.)

**AngelDono** (Well, Hibari came in...I'm not too good with his personality, I don't think :/ Because he doesn't know Tsuna caused the destruction, he was only angry at the trespassing – though maybe I made him a little too sympathetic? In my mind I only made him leave Tsuna alone because he couldn't be bothered to deal with such a 'pathetic' person like Tsuna was acting as)

**KitsuneNaru **(Here you go! Mukuro!)

**ShinDragonX** (I'm still working out the plot _completely_ myself at the moment. All sorts of kinks and things to remember. Fon plays quite a part here – in my thoughts anyway)

**Mangopudding** (Ah, reading back I feel so stupid now. I'm embarrassed I made a mistake like that. I type quickly at times and sometimes my fingers will slip a key without me realising. I'll only skim read what I put afterwards, so I missed that mistake. Here's some Reborn, Fon, Yamamoto, Alaude _and_ Mukuro. Thank you for pointing out that mistake by the way)

**Soul Vrazy** (How's this for you? I hope it stays fun and interesting for you!)

**Secret-H** (Oh, I read the first part of your sentence and panicked a little. I don't like disappointing people, but I'm happy that I met up to your expectations. I only included that part so I could go off on the tangent of explain magick so nobody would get confused by unfamiliar actions within the story)

**Final Syai Lunar Generation** (I hoped I cleared up your confusion – tell me if I haven't. And the pairings are varied! As the summary says, 'All27' at some point a majority of characters will develop _some_ sort of attraction for Tsuna, even if it's just simple affection or genuine feelings)

**Yuu3** (Wah, so many questions! You're making me blush and smile stupidly with all the praise you're giving, I'm actually genuinely embarrassed here. A lot of those questions will be answered during the story, so you'll just have to wait! Would want to spoil it for you – unless you want a spoiler?)

**Taira-Keimei** (Thank you very much for the welcome haha! I don't know much about Hitman Reborn yet, but I'm trying my best not to screw up. I haven't read the manga, but I've watched a few episodes and read other fanfics, as well as info on the Reborn Wikia. My biggest worry is keeping them all in character...)

**Completely Awestruck** (As long as my style isn't confusing, I don't mind what you think of it! Glad you enjoyed the first chapter, and hope you enjoy this one too)

**Pokermaniac039** (I met requests over meeting as best I could...but all at once would be too much, this chapter would have stretched into perhaps well over 10,000+ words and I shudder in thinking how I would get them all in and not confuse anyone or myself...rest assured, voted or not, I'm sure I'll let Tsuna meet everyone at some point, just not altogether and perhaps in their respective groups – Primo Generation, Arcobaleno, The Varia and Decimo Generation)

**Sakuramiyuki0 **(CAPS! Haha, sorry, it just looks like you're really enthusiastic. I've updated as quick as I could!)

**shanagi95 **(Thanks! Here's an update for you and everyone else!)

**demonsLOver** (You think it's original? I was completely worried it wasn't because of all the stories floating around of Tsuna having a sort of other side to him as his Hyper Dying Will Mode, but I'm glad that this has some originality to it. I'm actually somewhat through a story of yours, 'Unforgivable or Forgotten?'. Only to about chapter three or so, but it's a story I'm greatly enjoying.)

**killerninjaz **(I got some Giotto in here for you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter that I got out extra super quick haha)

**tujing **(Here you go, the next chapter all up and ready for your reading. Tell me if I'm still doing a good job? I wouldn't want my standards to drop if you're enjoying my writing as it is!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

"Speech Marks" Are for when someone is speaking.  
'Quotation Marks' Are for when there is a rare moment someone is thinking.  
_Italics_ When there is nothing around them are for Tsunayoshi's speaking to Tsuna. However, to Tsuna, these sound like completely other voices or his own thoughts. When he doesn't react to them, it's because they're fleeting and he barely notices them.  
_**Bold and Italics**_Are for when Tsunayoshi's memories of a recent time are seen and experienced briefly by Tsuna, similar to a flashback.

**Chapter Two – Of Waking Up and Curiosity**

Tsuna didn't wake up for two days. In that time he was kept in his Dorm Room, so he would wake up somewhere comfortable and not be confused. Nobody had known what had happened when Reborn had found him in the destroyed classroom and the young man had not elaborated much on the matter. When he was asked quite firmly what had happened, he replied in a tight voice, saying that he had knocked out the large man who was on the floor and grabbed Tsuna who had been hanging on the edge of the gap unconscious.

Before anyone could see, he had swiped the ring free of Tsuna's finger and slipped it in his pocket. He didn't know what possessed him to do it, but considering what he had seen, he thought it would be better to hide the evidence of Tsuna's Flame.

On the day that Tsuna _did_ wake up, Reborn was sat in the area that served as the living room on the couch, with a man settled in a chair across the room. Reborn was cradling a mug in his hands, which still had the last dregs of coffee within it. Finally, he muttered, "I don't know why I'm here Fon, but I feel a sense of responsibility over the kid for some reason. Even I don't get it. I just have to be here." He could almost feel the weight of the Sky ring in his pocket.

"It's very unlike you to get attached, Reborn." Fon had his own cup, though his was full and contained tea, steam swirling upwards and dissipating into the air. "Perhaps if you told the truth over what happened on Wednesday..." he trailed off, letting the implication of his words sinking in.

Reborn abruptly set his mug down on the table with perhaps a little too much force, his ring sparking gently. "I've already told you all there is to tell, Fon," he said softly, almost dangerously. "But I still find it my obligation to at least look over the kid until he wakes up, as I was the one to find him."

Fon gently set his own cup down on the table, crossing on leg over the other and folding his hands together on top of his knee. "Now, Reborn. There is no need to get upset, but we both know that I can pick lies apart from the truth, and the story that you have everyone convinced with is simply not true." He regarded Reborn coolly. "Even Luce is getting concerned over your attitude to Sawada-san," he gestured towards the bedroom as he spoke. "We both know how hard that can be to accomplish, considering her mostly aloof response to external affairs. On Tuesday, Verde told me how he had heard that you had offered to tutor Sawada-san while escorting him to the Infirmary. Something about Sawada-san has clearly interested you, something myself and the others are finding hard to comprehend. You know some of the methods the others will go through for information. Why don't you just tell us what's wrong?"

Reborn twitched gently and snatched his mug back up, drinking the last of the coffee and grimacing because it was cold. Before he could reply a soft groan rang out from the bedroom, signalling the awakening of Tsuna. Reborn stood, set his empty mug down and started to walk towards the door, ignoring Fon's look that said the conversation wasn't over as the other man sipped at his tea.

Tsuna was in the doorway before Reborn reached it, hair stuck up in all sorts of odd directions from his sleep, his pajamas hanging loosely on his frame. It took him a moment to register that there were two strangers in his rooms and he shrieked, gripping onto the doorframe.

Reborn winced at the sheer volume the small boy had made, making a show of rubbing his ear. He couldn't help but grin when Tsuna blushed, almost sinking to his knees as he stared at Reborn. His eyes were drawn to something behind Reborn and then they widened. "W-What?"

"This is a friend of mine." Reborn jerked a thumb over his shoulder to gesture to the young man behind him. "Fon. Fon, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi." He noticed how Tsuna frowned at his hearing his full name being said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sawada Tsunayoshi," Fon greeted, holding his hand out towards Tsuna. Tsuna simply stared at his outstretched limb before slowly reaching to accept the handshake, which Fon gave rather enthusiastically, smiling cheerfully at him. "Sorry for being in your rooms without permission."

"N-Nice to meet you too," Tsuna hesitated, brow pulling together again before he added quietly, "You can call me Tsuna. I-If you want!"

Reborn raised an eyebrow at Tsuna's attitude. When he'd met the boy in class Tsuna had been almost callous and indifferent. Now he was showing an almost shy side to himself, snatching his hand back and hiding in the doorway, half of his body moving back to shift behind the wall. Reborn decided to bring himself back into the conversation, saying loudly, "It's nice to finally see you awake."

Tsuna's eyes snapped away from Fon's face and over to Reborn's. "Finally? What do you mean by that? If you're annoyed by my waking up late, then don't wait for me."

'Oh?' Reborn thought to himself. So the nasty attitude was back when Tsuna was talking to him? He dismissed this, filing the information away as he replied, "You've been unconscious for just over forty-eight hours Tsuna. Gave everybody quite a scare!" He grinned, aiming to soothe the younger if just a little, and Tsuna's response was to give a startled bark of laughter.

"A scare? I think a lot of people would have been happier if I'd stayed unconscious." Tsuna sounded quite bitter, pursing his lips. "Now, I..._appreciate_ that you've been waiting for me to wake up, but can you leave?" He waved his hand dismissively towards Reborn and caught sight of the ring on his finger. Something resounded within him at realising the silver band was still plain.

_How dare they._ The thought naturally came to him; he didn't think it could come from anyone but him, and he silently agreed, staring at his hand with a hard expression. He didn't know why anger and indignation was building up in, but it was almost blinding, his heart thumping loudly and painfully in his chest.

"Tsuna?" Fon's voice broke into his reverie and Tsuna flinched, looking up jerkily. Fon smiled reassuringly. "Reborn and I have been here since quite early." The apology of this was clear on his face but he continued talking nonetheless. "We used your kitchen. There is still warm tea in a pot in the kitchen. I'm not going to force you to eat, but I would recommend it, even if it happened to be something simple as that would be best on an empty stomach. As Reborn said, you were unconscious for over forty-eight hours. Food and drink will do you good."

Tsuna let himself stare at Fon for a long moment before sighing and nodding wearily, rubbing his eyes and shuffling past Reborn and out of his bedroom, ignoring the irked expression on Reborn's face because of the fact Fon hadn't been given the harsh attitude he himself had.

Fon let himself smile at Tsuna, watching him pass before his eyes drifted over towards Reborn. "You don't seem to be very happy, Reborn," he said rather jovially.

"Whatever," Reborn replied, sniffing haughtily as he tilted his fedora down to shade his face in an almost harsh movement. "I'm leaving." He hesitated for a moment and then warningly said with a narrowing of his eyes, "Be careful with the kid."

"I doubt I'm going to cause him harm, Reborn." Fon chuckled softly, though he realised the seriousness of the situation when Reborn fixed him a firm gaze from under the hat.

"I wasn't worried about Tsuna, Fon. Really, be careful."

Fon stared back at him silently for a long moment before inclining his head in a short nod. "I understand." His eyes drifted towards the kitchen where there was the sound of clattering plates and cutlery. "I'll be careful Reborn." The question he wanted to ask was clear on his face but he didn't speak after that, just silently watching Reborn leave.

When Tsuna made his way back into the living room he had a mug of tea grasped in one hand and a plate holding two pieces of plain toast balanced on the other. He didn't question that Reborn had left, just collapsed onto the couch and settled his mug onto the table, picking up a piece of toast and tearing into it, suddenly ravenous.

Fon had settled back into the chair he had been previously occupying, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his clasped hands. He was silently observing Tsuna, an absent smile ever present on his face.

Tsuna finished his second piece of toast straight after the first, gently wiping crumbs off of his lap and picking up his mug, taking in a deep inhale of the tea with a pleased sigh, gently taking a sip.

"Its oolong," Fon told him as he watched a contemplative expression cross the younger male's face. "I brewed it myself; sorry for going through your cupboards." His smile turned apologetic.

Tsuna grinned ruefully back. "It would have sat in my cupboard gathering dust, Fon-senpai. I didn't even realise I _owned_ oolong tea to be honest. It's nice."

"I'm glad to hear that." Fon inclined his head gently to the praise. "Though, I must admit I was biased when making it, as oolong does happen to be my favourite." He lifted his chin from his hands, reaching for his own mug and taking a sip, before grimacing at realising it had gone cool.

"Would you like me to pour you another cup? My hospitality hasn't been the best." Tsuna laughed nervously, but exhaustion was clear in his voice. "Fon-senpai, do you know what happened to me? I'm not too sure myself, but surely if I was out for two days _some_ sort of news must have passed around."

Fon hummed in thought as he stood, walking into the kitchen with his cup and returning shortly with both it and the teapot on a small tray. Setting it down on the table, he poured himself another drink of tea before taking an appreciative sip of it, keeping the cup in his grasp as he sank back into his seat to let it spread warmth to his hands. "Well, to tell you the truth, I only know what was told to me and everyone else by Reborn. He was the first one to find you, after all."

"Find me?" Tsuna asked, tucking his legs up underneath him on the couch.

"I don't know the exact details, but apparently he found you unconscious in room 1-E in danger of falling out of a hole made in the wall because you were unconscious. There were three other people in the room, a man and two girls from your year, passed out in room as well. You were the only one without any extensive injuries past the swollen jaw, broken rib, black eye and bleeding lip." Fon watched Tsuna, trying to see if his words were getting any reaction, but Tsuna was staring deeply into his cup. When Tsuna didn't say anything, Fon took it as his cue to continue talking. "The rumour going around is that the man had attacked the girls and used his Storm Flame to rip the side of the building away as a means of escape. He had turned to you when Reborn appeared and knocked him out. I, myself, am sceptical, however."

"Why is that?" Tsuna asked softly, still intently focusing on the contents of his cup, as if the oolong tea was giving him answers to some deep questions. "Why are you sceptical?"

"Reborn would have simply knocked the man out. Unless you or the girls had fought back, which looked doubtful, there was nothing to explain the broken nose, loose teeth and fractured skull. The man is still unconscious and restrained in the Infirmary; they're waiting for him to wake up so he can be questioned." Fon watched with disguised interest as his words suddenly sparked a reaction in Tsuna, who had flinched ever so gently.

_**Tsunayoshi let another grin spread across his face before he suddenly appeared beside the man and grabbed him by the back of the head, slamming him face first into the desk with enough force to break the wood...**_

"I-Is that so..." Tsuna mumbled his reply, taking a deep drink from his cup before setting it down on the table to try and hide his gentle trembling. Fon's sharp eyes had already picking out the shivering and he chose to remain silent, regarding Tsuna over the rim of the cup as he himself sipped his drink.

_**...**__**and shove his face into the ground instead, blood spraying from the man's nose as Tsunayoshi lifted his head again and slammed it back down, repeating this action.**_

Tsuna carefully folded his hands on his lap, twisting his fingers firmly together and breathing in deeply if shakily, watching his tangled digits. Fon's eyes were intently focused on Tsuna, watching every twitch and jerk that the small boy gave. Tsuna himself had a vaguely unfocused expression, as if he weren't quite present at that moment.

"_**Who's next, hmm?" Tsunayoshi gave a wicked laugh as one of the girls suddenly scrambled for the door. Moments later, he appeared opposite her with enough force to blow the wood away from the hinges, ripping part of the frame from it and he quickly reached out to snatch her upper arm, twisting brutally as he gripped tightly onto her lower face with his free hand, stifling her scream as he broke her limb ruthlessly. He threw her across the room with his grip moments afterwards, knocking her unconscious if she wasn't already passed out from the pain. With a wild grin, he turned his eyes to the last person in the room, who was cowering the corner, desperately hoping to be ignored.**_

Tsuna wasn't sure that he liked what he was seeing, shaking his head briefly to try and shove away the images that were flooding his mind all of a sudden, the sickening crack made by that girl's arm still echoing in his ears. At the realistic imagery, sick glee rose within him, satisfaction swelling and it was all he had to stop the grin from stretching his face. He snatched at his tea and downed it in one to hide his mouth, slamming the cup down shortly after and startling Fon with the sudden movement.

"Ah, are you okay Tsuna?"

"Yes. I'm fine." There was a noticeable waver in his voice that Fon immediately picked up on, raising an eyebrow. Silently, he placed his cup on the table, smiling pleasantly at Tsuna as he spoke, "It was nice to meet you Tsuna. I wish the circumstances could have been better." He stood and bowed before walking to the door, Tsuna scrambling to his feet so he could try and be courteous, standing by the door as Fon opened it.

"It was nice meeting you too Fon-senpai." Tsuna smiled up at him, almost disarmingly and Fon blinked, almost feeling the honesty radiating from Tsuna at his words. Fon simply smiled softly, startling Tsuna as he gently ruffled his hair.

"Stay well, Tsuna. I hope to meet you soon."

"I-I hope to meet you again soon as well." Tsuna bowed his head to see Fon off, peeking up through his hair at him. Fon chuckled and lifted his hand in a wave as he walked down the corridor and Tsuna shut the door as soon as he was out of sight.

Holding his head in his hands, Tsuna leant his back against the door and let himself slide down, ignoring as the material of his pajama shirt rode up as a result. He was still reeling from the images he had seen – since when had his imagination gotten so vivid?

_It wasn't your imagination._

Tsuna let his head jerk up, accidentally bumping it against the door as he scanned the room with wide eyes. The person that had spoken had sounded clear as day, sounding as if they had spoken just next to Tsuna's ear. When he saw no one that could have spoken, Tsuna dismissed it that he was still tired, just exhausted from recovery and the eventful morning (could it possibly be afternoon yet?).

As he stifled a yawn, Tsuna let himself crawl back to his feet, yanking his shirt back down and tucking it into his pants as he decided he could do with more sleep. Even if all he had done for the past two days was snooze and be lazy, he still felt as if he could get a few more hours in. Besides, if it was true that two days had passed, then it would already be Saturday. He could do what he wanted to, since school wasn't a problem until Monday. If he was that way inclined, and that lucky, he was going to sleep for the rest of the weekend.

As it was, fifteen minutes later he was dressed and cleaning the cups, teapot and plate from the coffee table in the living room, washing them in the sink of the kitchen, staring at the soapy suds sliding against his hands. He felt too restless and he didn't know why, unable to rest despite his earlier bout of exhaustion.

After the dishes had been washed, he set them on the nearby rack to dry before reaching into the sink to pull the plug and let the murky water drain away. Grabbing a tea towel, he wiped his hands dry and chucked the cloth back onto the counter, looking around his dorm tiredly.

Deciding that looking back and forth across the room was getting him nowhere, nor alleviating his boredom or exhaustion, he walked towards the door, snagging a jacket and slipping his feet into some comfortable shoes. He didn't know what it was, but there was a nagging feeling deep inside that he needed to walk around and look at some things.

Halfway down the corridor, his intuition that something dreadfully, dreadfully _wrong_ was going to happen suddenly flared, causing him to stumble into the nearest wall, trying to catch his breath as he wondered what had just quite happened. Something inside him was fervently whispering at him to ignore it. _It's fine, it's perfectly fine. Don't worry. I'm here._

Tsuna whipped his head around at the voice, scanning the corridor fervently and almost desperately. Where were the words coming from? He dismissed it after a moment, not willing to let his imagination get away from him, forcing himself to focus on the task of doing _anything _as he scurried down the corridor, hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets.

* * *

He didn't know what pulled him to the room 1-E, but within the hour after leaving the Decimo building, Tsuna was stood in the hallway, peering in the doorway at the torn apart room, eyes drawn to the gaping hole and sky beyond it. He wondered why the teachers or even a student hadn't cleaned the debris and fixed the wall with their Flames. He found out when he dared to duck under the restricting tape and step into the room. Immediately, the stench and feel of magick reared up against him, and he felt something in him _roar_ in response. It made him rock back on his heels, stumbling back towards the doorway.

"You. What are you doing?" a sharp, hostile sounding voice spoke out from behind him and Tsuna twisted around abruptly, almost losing his balance and feeling the colour drain from his face when he had to crane his neck to meet the eyes of Hibari Kyoya.

Tsuna stammered, words catching in his throat as he managed to spit his sentences out in jumbles, "I...in here...Wednesday."

"Speak clearly," Hibari demanded harshly and Tsuna flinched in on himself.

"I was involved in the incident on Wednesday of this week!" Tsuna all but shouted it, bowing deeply as he did so. Because he was so close to the Disciplinary Committee member, he ended up headbutting Hibari's collarbone in the process, freezing after the hit – and pain – had registered.

Hibari tutted and Tsuna cringed again, but Hibari simply shoved back a step from Tsuna. "So you know what happened here?"

Tsuna blinked, registering that he was alive and had been asked a question. After a moment, he timidly shook his head, daring to straighten from his bow. "I only know what I've been told by others."

_**Tsunayoshi dragged the conscious girl by her hair with him towards the window, staring at the clouds that drifted lazily across the blue, blue sky, wonder turning his expression childish along with the widening of his eyes. He hefted the girl up to her whimper, making her face the window.**_

"_**See that?" he asked, sounding reverent. "That's the sky. Get it?" his tone turned abruptly harsh as he looked down at the girl he had a grip on. "You'd better fucking get it." Tsunayoshi lifted the hand that wasn't tangled in hair, pressing his hand against the window. When his hands ignited the wall exploded outwards, glass from the window frame falling to the floor and showering around them as the girl shrieked, her hair and scalp catching fire. She was tossed dismissively to the side as Tsunayoshi lifted up his hands to the sky, reaching, reaching as something within him called for the freedom the great blue expanse could offer him...**_

"Are you ignoring me?" the dangerous voice broke into Tsuna's tangled thoughts and Tsuna winced, realising he had let his imagination get away from him again, eyes darting nervously around the room, anywhere but at the scowling prefect opposite him.

"I should bite you to death for your ignorance," Hibari sneered as Tsuna twitched back half a step and took half a moment to realise that the smaller boy had started to cry. The crying wasn't very noticeable, just fat tears that rolled down Tsuna's cheeks. Hibari didn't even think the teen himself knew that he was crying, otherwise he would most like be both mortified and terrified.

_Don't be so afraid, Tsuna. It will all be okay. I promise you. I'll keep you safe. I won't let you see anymore. _

Hibari examined him for a long moment before turning on his heel and walking down the corridor, calling coldly over his shoulder, "I will forgive you this time, as your curiosity is akin to mine. Rest assured, if you come here again without permission, I will suitably punish you." He was satisfied to see Tsuna flinch from the corner of his eye.

Tsuna felt himself start breathing again when Hibari disappeared around the corner, stalking menacingly out of sight. Tsuna didn't know how the other achieved it, but he felt terror even watching Hibari walking away. He'd heard tales of his elder's ruthlessness when it came to achieving peace within the Academy.

Convinced that his knees weren't going to buckle out from underneath him, Tsuna let himself turn back to the room again. This time the slap of magick to the face was less than it was before and the brunette picked his way carefully across the room until he came to stand a few feet away from the large hole in the wall. Mustering up his courage, he crouched down to swipe the glass away from his feet with his sleeve covering his hand. With this completely, he shuffled forward until he managed to sit on the edge of the room, legs hanging freely. He was worried, yes, about being this close to the possibility of falling, but he could bring himself to care.

Tilting his head back, he stared at the sky, hands resting on his knees as he let his legs swing back and forth. It being a weekend there was next to no one around near the Academy building, so his chances of being spotted were low. Hopefully Hibari wouldn't return either.

Tsuna only faintly heard the shouts of, _"Giotto-sama?"_ and _"Stay there!" _before something from outside of the classroom, _two storeys up_ crashed into his middle, tackling Tsuna and sent him skidding across the floor with a heavy weight settled against his front.

"No!" A voice told him firmly, a majority of the weight shifting to Tsuna's hips as the dazed boy realised someone, a _person_ was sitting on him, gripping his shoulders in large, warm hands. "Suicide is not the way to go!"

Tsuna snapped his attention to who was shouting at him, focus immediately going to the bright blonde hair and golden eyes of the man sat on him, as he couldn't help himself but to gape.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Tsuna finally and meekly said, eyes drawn to the fading Sky Flame – _Sky Flame!_ His subconscious shrieked – on the stranger's forehead.

"Suicide isn't the answer!" The person said firmly again, shaking Tsuna gently. "Is there something wrong? Do you need someone to talk to? What're your problems? Can I help?"

Tsuna was instantly bewildered, blurting out, "I wasn't trying to commit suicide!"

Those golden eyes blinked at him. "You...weren't?"

"I wasn't! I was just...curious," Tsuna admitted, sounding a little embarrassed even to himself because of his words, shifting his hips underneath the stranger gently. "Can you get off me now?"

"Ah! Sorry!" The man scrambled to his feet, offering Tsuna his hand. "I'm Giotto. Who are you?"

Tsuna warily accepted the offered hand and was sharply yanked to his feet by Giotto, the older man beaming at him as he waited for an answer. Finally Tsuna answered, shuffling his feet as he mumbled, "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"So, Tsunayoshi-san – "

"Tsuna, please," Tsuna's voice was strained, and he'd snatched his hand back to curl it protectively near his chest where was something was twisting, anger rising within him at being called his first name by Giotto.

_Cocky fucking Sky wielder. How dare he call our first name with such ease! _Tsuna was snapped out of his abrupt fury by Giotto clapping a hand on his shoulder – _don't touch Tsuna so closely! _– and the man talking to him.

"So, Tsuna. If you weren't trying to commit suicide, why were you sat so close to the edge of the building? I was so afraid you were going to fall that I left behind my friend without thinking! Man, he's going to be so angry with me!" Giotto laughed gently and despite his ire, Tsuna felt himself reluctantly relaxing.

"I was involved in the incident that happened here," Tsuna admitted, trying to shrug Giotto's friendly hand off and failing. "I guess I was just trying to get some answers because I've been sleeping for two days. It's kind of thrown me off, you know?"

"Oh, so it was you involved!" Giotto sounded immediately excited and interested. "Can I ask what happened?"

"I don't really know...I was dragged in here and had the shit beat out of me by the big man." Tsuna laughed weakly. "I guess I passed out after that, I only woke up in my bed this morning."

_Oh Tsuna..._ something sighed in him and he couldn't help but jerk his head to the side, scanning the room from top to bottom. Giotto frowned at Tsuna's reaction, putting it down to his remembering of the incident.

"Well, don't worry. We'll make sure something like that doesn't happen again in Vongola Academy!"

_You don't have to do anything. I'll look after Tsuna myself._

"After all, student safety and happiness is a top priority." Giotto grinned at Tsuna, setting his second hand on Tsuna's other shoulder. "I was actually in the middle of something when I came barging up here and my friend is no doubt waiting for me. I still want to talk to you about what happened, so maybe we can meet later today when I'm not as busy? Or, if not today some other time? If you don't come today, you'll normally find me in the School Council office most days, Monday through to Sunday." Giotto let his grin drop, a sombre expression crossing his face as he gently squeezed Tsuna's shoulders. "Nobody deserved to go through what you and those girls went through in this room."

_They all deserved everything they got. Tsuna doesn't need to go through that crap._

Tsuna nodded silently, looking to the side. He blinked up at Giotto as the elder ruffled his hair with another brilliant grin, the blonde stepping back as he let his ring light back up with Sky Flames, his magick igniting.

"I hope to see you again Tsuna, real soon." Giotto walked towards the gap and stepped off. Tsuna couldn't help but to gasp and shuffle along to peer outside. He watched Giotto land by another blonde, shrugging at something that was said and laughing amicably as the second blonde gestured angrily to scorch marks burnt onto the floor from Giotto's impromptu take off with his Sky Flames at spotting Tsuna.

Giotto looked up as if sensing Tsuna watching and waved exuberantly, shouting up a goodbye. His companion turned to face Tsuna as well and the brunette cringed, noting the similarities to Hibari even from this distance. Alaude was as fearsome as his younger relative, and Tsuna wasted in no time from stepping back away and towards the door, intent on leaving the room.

As he trailed the empty corridors of the school, he found himself inexplicably pulled towards the direction of the Infirmary. Once stood in the room, his eyes were drawn to a curtained off area and he walked over, twitching the curtain aside to look inside, curiosity burning inside of him. He flinched violently at seeing the face of the man who had beaten him two days before, despite seeing the numerous seals that kept the man restrained, even if he were to wake up.

_Choke him. Kill him. He won't hurt you again if he's gone_

The thoughts sounded right. They sounded like his own, his own idea. A good idea.

Tsuna stepped into the seclusion offered by the curtains, letting them swing shut behind him. All sound was blocked out. All he could hear was the breathing of himself and the other male and the thump-thump of his heart climbing his throat.

Stepping forward until he was directly at the bedside, Tsuna slowly reached forward, gaze unfocused as his slim fingers started to slide around the thick neck, squeezing gently. He could feel the heavy thump of the body's heartbeat beneath his fingertips and was shocked into awareness of what he was doing, jerking back in horror at what he had been planning, his thoughts in complete turmoil.

_It's okay Tsuna. It doesn't matter. You don't need to sully yourself for this one person, not when I'm here._

Tsuna was feeling himself becoming drowsy even over the horror, a sense of euphoria and calm rising within him, as if he were slipping in and out of conscious, everything around him taking on a different quality as if he were lucid dreaming and the fear of himself was slowly fading away. He watched his arm rise through a blurry vision with his control, finger moving to press against the pulse in that neck again, drawing simple circles.

_I'll take care of it for you. Just close your eyes._

Tsuna felt his eyelids turn heavy, before he closed them. He didn't know why he was so tired. He was thinking that perhaps he should lie down on one of the spare beds, catch his breath. He was starting to feel warm and feverish and with that, his thoughts began drifting aimlessly, oblivious to the actions his body was making within the safety of his mind.

* * *

What felt like days had passed when, in reality, only a few moments had drifted by before Tsuna felt himself jolt awake again. He was still standing by the bedside of his attacked, hand still near his neck and – Tsuna's breath caught in his throat before he stepped back, out of the safety of the curtains and gave a terrified shriek that reverberated and echoed down the empty hallways, even if it sounded a little on the girlish side.

That man! His throat, and Tsuna's hand, and oh god, the blood, the _blood_ _!_ It was everywhere, slippery and slightly sticky and still warm, covering his palm, the pillow, the man's face, splattered against the curtain, on Tsuna's clothes. He could even feel it trickling slowly down his face, the taste of it sharp and metallic in his mouth.

Tsuna felt nausea churn his stomach and promptly collapsed to his knees, doubling over as he threw up, bloody palm pressing against the floor, slick and squelching against the linoleum. Tsuna's stomach promptly flipped itself upside down and he dry heaved.

Again, he screamed and shouted, but this time for help, trying to stagger to his feet but giving up, eyes wide and desperate on the door as he begged for someone, _anyone_ to appear in the room to help him. His nose, eyes and throat were burning from his retching and screaming and crying that he was sure was happening.

His wish was granted when the door slammed open a breathless _Yamamoto_ of all people standing there, looking around in panic before his eyes focused on Tsuna.

"S-Sawada-san?" he stuttered, trying to catch his breath and Tsuna let a thankful sob leave his throat, before another followed and then one more. Soon enough Tsuna had let himself curl up onto his side, holding his knees and ignoring the mess he had made while trying to avoid it as he began sobbing against the floor, unable to help the pathetic noises from leaving him.

Yamamoto slowly approached, a little overwhelmed by the situation. He was dressed in sport's uniform, having been in the building for a meet before the team went outside. He'd left something inside the building and it was sheer luck that he had found Tsuna after returning and hearing the screams.

Crouching by the sobbing boy, Yamamoto gently patted his back, bewildered and feeling sick himself. "Sawada-san, what happened?"

Tsuna was too incoherent to reply, reaching out a hand to grip onto the hem of his shirt and – Yamamoto swallowed down the feeling of sickness – staining the material with smudges of blood. The smell was overpowering, and Yamamoto, with conviction, wrapped his arms supportively around the small, lithe body of his classmate, trying to urge him to stand. "Come on, let's get out of here and you can try and calm down, tell me what happened?"

Tsuna let himself get dragged to his feet and out of the room, shuffling along the floor with hiccupped breaths, hitches here and there. He was trembling violently and that was when Yamamoto took in that Tsuna was covered in blood himself, worry rooting itself deep inside of him that the younger boy was hurt.

When they were outside of the Infirmary, Yamamoto let Tsuna sit down on the floor underneath the window, gently making sure he was settled. Despite the sniffles and hiccups, Tsuna seemed fine and that was what concerned Yamamoto. He could be injured or in shock and that was bad for magick users. It tended to worse control.

Reaching into a pocket he pulled out his phone quickly punching in a number and holding the device to his ear. At the answer he hurriedly said, "Please, no questions, high school Infirmary, get here quick." He hung up, feeling bad about his attitude before he turned back to Tsuna.

"H-Hey, Sawada-san?" he asked softly, kneel opposite him. "C-Can I take your shirt off? It's covered in blood and y-you could be hurt." Yamamoto couldn't honestly remember the last time he had stuttered in his sentences. When he didn't get an answer, he took it as an affirmative anyway, slipping Tsuna's jacket off of his shoulders before gripping the hem of the shirt, pulling it up and over the rebellious hair on top of Tsuna's head.

Yamamoto felt indescribable relief that Tsuna wasn't hurt, at least not visibly. Magick damage could always go deeper.

"Oya, what do we have here?" A deep voice suddenly chuckled and Yamamoto looked up. Despite his sometimes dislike towards the upperclassman, he couldn't help the happiness that filled him at the help that had arrived, even if had called for someone different moments before. This was lucky, incredibly so.

"Rokudo-senpai! Thank goodness, can you help me?"

"Hmm? Why is th – ara, Yamamoto-san, is that blood?" Mukuro's voice which had started off vaguely pleasant was suddenly darker, and he knelt by Yamamoto in seconds, pursing his lips as he gave Tsuna a look over quickly. Noticing the article of clothing in Yamamoto's hands, he shoved the younger boy. "Get that soaked or get some towels from in the Infirmary and dampen them instead, it'd be best to clean this, see if there are any injuries."

Yamamoto rocked in place for a moment before standing and looking towards the Infirmary, reluctant to go in. Mukuro looked up at him, displeasure at his orders being ignored clear on his face.

Both of them failed to notice the orange eyes that were regarding them coolly, if sharply and warily beneath the mop of brown, bloodstained hair.

* * *

I understand my author notes are long, disgustingly so, but the chapter on its own without my mostless mindless babbling like this is still over 6000 words.

I got so many positive replies in such a short time that I couldn't help but bring this chapter out as soon as I could make myself write it. (Math is still dutifully being ignored in favour of this)

This chapter skips all over the place in my opinion, and I was honestly thinking of cutting out one or two of the meetings with chosen people so it didn't look so...weird? Then again, I suppose not much can be written for the story if characters don't interact.

Please, tell me if anything has confused you. Also, I'm looking for a Beta Reader to look over these chapters so I don't make mistakes, such as putting 'hate' instead of 'hat' – thank you** mangopudding** for pointing that out, I'll read over the chapter and fix little things like that when I find them.

To those who asked for them, Gokudera and Ryohei will appear in the next chapter. Because of the amount of people that wanted Mukuro, there'll obviously be more of him as well.

There's not much significance to the tallying, it just tells me which characters are the most popular to the reader who chooses them and shows me who to include within the next chapter.

Arcobaleno (Particular member?):  
- Reborn: 1  
- Fon: 2  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 1  
Gokudera Hayato: 1  
Rokudo Mukuro: 3  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 1  
Dino: 0  
The Varia (Particular member?):  
Giotto: 1  
G: 0  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 1  
Daemon: 0


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or alerted!**

**XxPurexSoulxX **(Tsunayoshi has a perfectly good reason for being protective of Tsuna. Mental disorders and disorders in general normally derive from some sort of trauma or bad past, from what I do know of the subject)

**Xnameless1711X **(Glad you like the story so far, and here's an update!)

**KitsuneNaru **(More Mukuro! You can never have enough, lmao.)

**AngelDono **(Ah, I'm sorry I didn't quite meet your expectations of Hibari. I knew I didn't do well with him, but I'm glad you still found him to be adequate (?) for the chapter. I'm sorry, but I couldn't quite fit Xanxus in here, there was too much I wanted to cram in. I'll manage to get him in soon though!)

**Kitsunefighter12 **(Happy you think the story is great and I hope this chapter is up to par for you!)

**Blaze **(I didn't know about that O.O Thanks for telling me. What is everyone else thinking of this? Is there it a chance it'll happen?)

**Final Syai Lunar Generation **(Schizophrenia is a commonly misunderstood word; many people mistake it as Multiple Personality Disorder. I wrote it as that because, despite what it really means, to me it has the meaning of more than one personality even if that isn't what the word means. A lot of people (that I know of anyway), when calling a person schizophrenic, will normally be referring to the fact that person has more than one side to them. Sorry for any confusion. I seem to be doing that a lot to you; I'm scared I might confuse you again with this chapter. I'm glad you're telling me though, so I can clear this all up haha)

**Anydayanywhere **(I feel – and know, deep inside of me – that I've most likely made Tsuna incredibly out of character. I like to tell myself that his 'Tsuna' personality is only like that because of the fact this is an AU and I needed to shape him to this story...)

**Hitomi65 **(You're welcome!)

**ShinDragonX** (Fon was someone I think I needed in that chapter, to bring it together at the beginning haha. Yeah, Tsunayoshi (HDW Tsuna) is very possessive of Tsuna now that he's finally been given a chance to be let out. After all, if something happens to Tsuna, it'll happen to him too. Here's Yamamoto for you!)

**Mangopudding **(The ring that Tsuna is wearing is one that was scrounged up, just a plain silver ring that hasn't been activated by magick yet. Reborn kept the other one, if that wasn't made clear.)

**Dustfeather1864** (I had nothing better to do, and this story, at the moment, is writing itself haha. I couldn't help but update this. Giotto's in here for you!)

**The Kyuubi maiden **(This story is gory? I never thought of it that way myself, but I guess there is an excessive amount of blood whenever Tsunayoshi is involved. Are the shivers good or bad? I'd think bad if it's to do with Tsunayoshi lol. Thank you for greeting me into the fandom as well!)

**Tujing **(Tsunayoshi is protective – most likely obsessed and possessive – over Tsuna. When Mukuro and Yamamoto came over while Tsuna was in a weak state (crying, being sick, shaking) Tsunayoshi immediately felt the need to take over so Tsuna would be safe. Because Tsuna was so tired from the shock, Tsunayoshi could take over with ease, without waiting for Tsuna to slump unconscious. Tsunayoshi also takes over in strong emotion, no matter what it might be, so he can get rid of whatever's setting Tsuna off lol)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Yes, that does seem to be the case – something similar happen – but I suppose I was expecting that to be obvious no matter what I did...here's the next chapter!)

**Shanagi95 **(Here's some Yamamoto for you! I think this chapter should answer your question but, if not then just tell me and I'll clear up any confusion!)

**Natsume1111 **(Haha, there is something scary about it huh? Your review is making me smile so much my cheeks are hurting. I'm glad you fallen in love with it!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

"Speech Marks" Are for when someone is speaking.  
'Quotation Marks' Are for when there is a rare moment someone is thinking.  
_Italics_ When there is nothing around them are for Tsunayoshi's speaking to Tsuna. However, to Tsuna, these sound like completely other voices or his own thoughts. When he doesn't react to them, it's because they're fleeting and he barely notices them.  
_**Bold and Italics**_ Are for when Tsunayoshi's memories of a recent time are seen and experienced briefly by Tsuna, similar to a flashback.

**NOTE: **For this chapter, _**bold and italics**_ are only used to express rage, nothing else

**Chapter Three – Breaking Point**

Mukuro watched Yamamoto scurry into the Infirmary, eyes narrowing at the sight of the blood stained in the corner of the room, visible before the door swung shut. He was wondering if he should have sent the younger male in but decided Yamamoto would be fine as he turned his attention back to the young brunette.

Only to feel something within him lurching horribly before it tightened again.

Mukuro hadn't felt fear in a long time. He hadn't needed to, as nothing he had seen in his life was worth being afraid of. However, the orange eyes, half lidded and staring up at him, set within a face still smudged with blood was enough to set his heart palpitating and Mukuro suddenly had to wonder if what he was feeling was fear or _excitement._

"Rokudo-senpai," the boy sat opposite him near enough purred his name, a sly smile curving up the corner of his mouth. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Mukuro twitched before smirking. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, hmm? Sawada-san or Tsunayoshi?"

"Tsunayoshi. Tsuna in some cases." Tsunayoshi lifted his hand to rest his chin on his palm, ignoring the still dirtied state of his skin and darting his tongue out to lick at his upper lip where blood was threatening to dribble down. Mukuro suddenly had the almost hysterical thought that he was being seduced by a boy missing his shirt, streaked in blood and one year younger than him and shortly found out that if that was the brunette's intention _he didn't care_.

As if hearing of what he was thinking, Tsunayoshi let his eyelids lower further, until he was looking up at Mukuro through his lashes, his eyes only visible as what looked like smouldering embers, orange and fiery. He was digging his teeth gently into his lower lip.

Mukuro was caught up in that gaze, until Yamamoto suddenly bustled out of the Infirmary, a bowl of water and towels in his arms and attracted both his and Tsunayoshi's attention. When Mukuro looked back at the boy his eyes were closed, chest rising and falling in gentle movements. He'd drifted off into sleep.

"Is Sawada-san okay?"

"Well, he was talking and didn't seem to be in pain," Mukuro mused. "It doesn't hurt to clean him up though. I'm guessing he passed out from the shock. It looks a mess in there." He jerked a thumb towards the Infirmary and Yamamoto flinched gently.

"It's pretty bad. There's a lot of blood in there and a dead body on one of the beds." Yamamoto swallowed thickly. "So I think the blood isn't Sawada-san's but he found the body and maybe slipped or tried to help him? I'm not sure. It might be best to ask him when he's awake. Do we clean him now?"

Mukuro was about to give his answer when there was an angry shout from down the corridor. "Oi! Yamamoto! How dare you hang up on me!"

"Maa, maa, Gokudera-kun," Yamamoto laughed, relaxing noticeably with the arrival of his friend. "It was an emergency." He shifted the bowl and towels in his arms, turning to face Gokudera as he arrived. Tilting his body the way he had, had Gokudera catching sight of Tsuna and cringing back just slightly.

"What, you called me here to hide the evidence of a murder or something?" Gokudera sneered. "Oh, even the pineapple bastard himself is involved."

"Ah, there is a body but Sawada-san isn't dead," Yamamoto chuckled, gesturing to Gokudera for him to come over. "So, can you help?" He ignored the vaguely disturbed expression that passed his friend's face, but nevertheless Gokudera willingly approached.

"Why don't we dump him in the Infirmary and leave it to the nurse?" Gokudera asked, folding his arms as he looked down at Tsuna.

"That would be counter-productive. The Infirmary is a big mess, Gokudera," Mukuro muttered. "Our best bet would be to take him to a dorm. The Vongolo Primo building is the closest."

"What and you think we'd be allowed to waltz straight in there?" Gokudera asked sarcastically and Mukuro snorted.

"We all have relatives in the building, it wouldn't be hard to room Tsuna with one of them, if just until he wakes up." Without waiting for an answer, Mukuro lifted Tsuna effortlessly and held him tightly over his shoulder, Tsuna's upper body hanging down his back. "Besides, since I'm here I doubt we need you anymore." He peered down at Gokudera with challenge in his eyes before he stalked off. "Yamamoto. We'll still need those towels and bowl of water."

"Yes!" Yamamoto jogged after him, arms cradled carefully around the bowl so as to not spill any water.

Gokudera stared after them, before giving an angry shout, ruffling his hair between his hands roughly and running after them until he was alongside Yamamoto, hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He was scowling, showing his discomfort of the situation. Eventually, he questioned the situation.

"What happened anyway?" Gokudera asked gruffly.

"I heard Sawada-san screaming," Yamamoto began, looking at the ceiling briefly in thought. "And when I went in the Infirmary, he was collapsed on the floor, soaked in blood. I managed to get him and strip him of his shirt because I thought he was hurt and then Rokudo-senpai came along. Man, it was a mess in there." He laughed, although it was noticeably strained. Gokudera didn't push on the matter.

After a moment, he asked, in a purposefully loud voice, "Why is that pineapple jerk helping?"

"I'm intrigued," Mukuro shot back, turning his head to give a look over his shoulder and over Tsuna at Gokudera. His eyes were drawn to the prominent hipbone ever so close to his cheek because of Tsuna's half undressed state. He immediately focused his attention on the direction he was walking. It wouldn't do well to inappropriately touch the boy while was sleeping. He didn't see anything against doing anything when the interesting boy was awake once more.

Chuckling to himself and briefly worrying the two teens behind him with the sinister noise, he carried on walking, an almost ominous spring to his step.

* * *

Mukuro shifted his grip around Tsuna and knocked firmly on the large wooden door that had the Roman Numeral 'I' emblazoned across the front.

There was a loud crash and shouting from within, two men roaring insults between them when the door was swung open by Giotto, the blonde cheerfully declaring, "Hello! How c – _Tsuna?"_

"Oh, you know him? This makes things so much easier. Give us a place to set him down," Mukuro didn't wait for Giotto to answer before he elbowed his way inside. Both Yamamoto and Gokudera bowed in respect, Yamamoto only inclining his head because of his burden before they too walked inside.

Giotto stood in the doorway for a long moment before shutting the door and turning around and walking after Mukuro. The illusionist had walked straight into the lounge like room and set Tsuna down on a couch, ignoring the curious expression from the teen across the room who was reading a book.

"Yamamoto." Mukuro gestured and Yamamoto set the bowl down on the floor along with the towels before giving a jaunty wave to the person who had resemblance to him across the room. "Yo, Asari." He grinned lazily, before sitting on the edge of the couch near to Tsuna's feet. The boy was short enough that there was still space left, though Yamamoto still reached out to pat the closest ankle to him.

"What happened?" Giotto's voice rang from the doorway and Mukuro snorted, pushing a towel into the bowl of lukewarm water before wringing it out and scrubbing ruthlessly at Tsuna's side where blood had caked. Yamamoto went to answer, but, before he could, Mukuro's sudden actions had woken Tsuna up and, startled, the brunette had swung around and punched Mukuro across the face. For such a small body, he had quite a lot of power behind his motion and Mukuro's head snapped back as he spat out blood, swearing profusely.

He had just lifted his hand as if to strike Tsuna in return when something interesting caught his attention. Where there had once been burning orange, the boy's eyes were simply a warm brown, gazing around with confusion and filled with sleep. It didn't take Tsuna long to figure out he was in a strange place, half naked and that he had just punched a complete stranger in the face.

Horror rising within him, Tsuna tried to jerk himself to sit upright, stammering out apologies left right and centre as his hands nervously hovered over Mukuro's face, where his cheek was noticeably starting to swell, just slightly.

"I'm okay Tsunayoshi," Mukuro assured him and he could see the beginnings of a protest cross the boys face when he felt something 'pop' against his left nostril and warmth trickled down his upper lip. A nosebleed. Tsuna, in response to this, slapped a hand over his mouth and squealed, before gagging as he realised the state of the blood on his hands.

"I'm so sorry!" Tsuna sat up ramrod straight, pressed his hands to his knees and bowed his head. "I've been told I always react negatively when startled awake, I'm sorry!" There was something in him angry and disgusted at apologising but he pushed it down. It was nothing against the mortification that was rising in him.

All of a sudden raucous laughter filled the room, ending the silence and breaking the tense atmosphere. Gokudera was doubled over, hands supporting himself on his thighs as he laughed, shaking with the force of it. "Oh man, Rokudo, he got you _good_. Should've seen your face! Bloody hell, when was the last time someone made _you_ bleed, even if it was a lucky punch?"

Tsuna looked desperately confused and flinched at a gentle pat on his shoulder, twitching his head over to see Yamamoto smiling brightly at him. "Are you okay now Tsuna?"

"Y-Yes, I believe so." Tsuna smiled shakily in return before he moved his hands slowly to stare at the blood stuck to them. At seeing him going abruptly pale, Yamamoto grabbed the towel that Mukuro had dropped upon being socked in the face and handed it to Tsuna.

"Do you need help cleaning up?" Yamamoto asked kindly. "There isn't any blood on your back, but there sure is an awful amount of it. Are you hurt anywhere?" His voice dropped a pitch during the question, no longer as cheerful and flecked with worry.

"No, I'm not hurt but – " Tsuna's eyes widened, stiffening and jerking to his feet. "That man! In the Infirmary, oh god, that man..." He slowly sank back into the couch, twitching very gently, upper body jerking violently every few moments.

"I think I'm going to throw up," Tsuna finally mumbled and was startled as an empty bowl was abruptly shoved into his lap, Giotto holding onto the other end of it, eyes on Tsuna's face. The elder was desperately trying to ignore the blood on the younger's face, grimacing just slightly as Tsuna doubled over and retched, dribbling a little afterwards, something he wiped away with the back of his hand. He had the decency to look embarrassed, but his expression was twisted with upset.

"Would you like to use the bathroom?" Giotto questioned softly. "It'll give you privacy and make it easier to clean. Someone could scrounge up some clothes that are close to your size so you don't have to get back into grimy clothes afterwards."

Tsuna just let himself breathe harshly for a long moment before nodding almost imperceptibly, lifting his head slightly to offer Giotto a weak smile. The blonde immediately gave a wide grin in return, ruffling Tsuna's hair and vehemently ignoring the stickiness of blood in the brown locks.

"Come on then." Giotto gently took the dirty bowl away and put it down onto the floor, guiding Tsuna to his feet. Mukuro was watching quietly and Yamamoto pressed his hand against Tsuna's lower back, ignoring the gentle jolt the boy gave at the skin contact in favour of helping to push him to standing. Tsuna was led out of the room shortly afterwards.

Gokudera was watching them from his position slouched against the wall, though he was faintly flushed from his laughter, unable to help the occasional titter that left him whenever he glanced over at Mukuro. The teen hadn't bothered to wipe his nose and lip free of blood, something Gokudera found curious. He didn't know why the other was so infatuated with the brat, though he reckoned it was because Mukuro was probably turned on by the blood. He knew for a fact that Mukuro had some odd kinks.

Even as he watched, Mukuro licked his upper lip and gave off that ominous laughter of his, making Yamamoto give him a surprised look before the boy laughed with him. "Ah, Sawada-san sure is interesting, huh, Rokudo-senpai?"

Gokudera almost went over there to slap Yamamoto across the head, because of his misunderstanding and idiocy.

* * *

Reborn stepped into the large room, letting the door swing shut behind him with a thud. Immediately, the heads of the people in the room snapped up, curious eyes staring at him, and all conversations that anyone was involved in came to a halt.

An irate blonde was the first to speak. "Reborn! What's the meaning of dragging us all together like this, kora?"

Reborn didn't answer, just reaching into his pocket and curling his fingers around the Sky ring that he still carried around with him. As he approached the table that lay in the centre, with the people sat around it, he took in a deep breath, pulling the ring out and setting it on the table.

His action gained little to no reaction, though a male with purple hair was quick to speak up as he fiddled with a piercing in his bottom lip. "It's a ring. So what?"

"Reborn..." Fon began before he was interrupted.

"Look closer," Reborn said, through grit teeth, reaching forward to turn the ring with his fingertip. Abruptly, murmurs broke out around the room which were silenced by the only female of the group.

"Enough! Reborn. What is the meaning of this?" the young woman fixed Reborn with a fierce look and the man removed the fedora from his head, running his hand over his face and collapsing into a seat.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Reborn finally said, noticing from the corner of his eye as Fon sat up a little straighter in his seat. "Sawada Tsunayoshi is the meaning of this, Luce."

"I saw Tsuna yesterday with my own eyes, Reborn," Fon sounded terse, though he kept his calm expression. "There was a silver ring on his hand; he hasn't come into his Flame yet."

"And I saw the boy right after he'd blown out the side of 1-E," Reborn replied quickly, sounding almost snappish and almost exhausted. "His arms were still burning orange with Sky Flames."

"Then why doesn't he remember, kora? I'm finding it hard to believe you Reborn; this sounds like a load of bullshit."

"That's what I want to find out myself." Reborn let his fingers brush through his hair as he stared at the ring in front of him. It was glinting at him almost mockingly in the light.

"So this is why you asked of my help..." one of the silent members spoke up, eyes lifting from the ring to Reborn's face as he nudged his glasses up his nose. "You wanted to know about Sawada because of this."

"You weren't any help in the end, though I apologise for wasting your time."

"What, even Verde couldn't help you?" Luce sounded incredulous. "He should have access to student files. Was there not enough in his files to suggest anything?"

"His files were mostly empty Luce," Reborn grunted. "They only had his name, birth-date, the names of his parents and his blood type, as well as the date of which he joined the Academy. The only thing unusual about him is that he only came here when he was ten, and that's only different because a majority of students start at Vongola Academy and end at Vongola Academy, there's no in between."

"Why don't we just ask him about it?" Luce asked, sounding exasperated.

"I wasn't the one to knock out the man in that classroom Luce. He was already unconscious, long gone, and one of the girl's, her hair was still giving off smoke. Tsuna's dangerous when provoked. That's the conclusion I came to."

"So what? Maybe the man attacked the girls and then passed out when hitting Sawada-san because of overusing his magick from blowing out the classroom wall. Just because he was unconscious doesn't mean Sawada-san did anything."

"The front of his skull had caved in Luce. He was face down in a pool of his own blood," Reborn said sombrely. "I had to do some quick thinking to heal him without being noticed so he would survive. I wanted to ask him of what happened."

"Well...I doubt you'd be able to do that now." Reborn glanced to Verde as he spoke, asking for elaboration with his stern gaze, and the young man sighed.

"It must have happened when you were gathering us up for this inane meeting, but the man who caused all this trouble is dead. His throat was sliced wide open; someone had tried to take his head off, most likely with magick, and failed. It doesn't change the fact that he bled out within moments." A delicate brow rose after a moment. "However...Sawada Tsunayoshi was said to have been found in the room, blood on his hands and screaming."

"Back to Sawada-san again," Luce pinched the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. "How can you be certain of this Verde?"

"You know I have my sources and, if not mine, then Mammon has his. He discovered the same as I."

"What happened after that?" Luce sounded stern; lifting her eyes to meet Verde's through his glasses as she opened them again, gaze fierce. He regarded her silently and then murmured, "He was found by Yamamoto Takeshi, Rokudo Mukuro and Gokudera Hayato. The three then proceeded to take him the Primo dorm rooms to seek help. As far as I know, nobody has left the dorm building yet."

Silence filled the room before the blonde stood and slammed his hands down on the table. "Then let's go get him, kora! What's so hard about getting one kid and looking in his head for the truth?"

"We can't be so rash Colonello!" Reborn snapped back. "We don't want to damage him and we certainly don't want to scare him!"

"And so what if we do?" Colonello snidely returned, sneering. "I don't see the problem, kora."

"No Colonello," Luce finally sighed, breaking up the argument before it began to escalate. "Fon, you look as if you want to speak. Is something wrong?"

Fon stayed silent for a moment before answering, "How about we show the ring to Tsuna and see his reaction from there? We're all perceptible enough to see whether or not he'll show a response to seeing it. It might be a trigger for him."

"We can't all go, he doesn't know most of us and we don't want to panic him if he _is _dangerous," Reborn muttered and Fon smiled at him.

"Then we will go, as he already knows us."

"He won't get to know us if we don't go to see him," Luce broke in. "So at least take one other person with you. We don't want to risk it if he actually is discovered to have a Sky Flame. Not that I doubt you Reborn, but Sky Flames...they don't just pop up like normal Flames. The sheer _rarity_ of them..."

"I know what I saw. When have I ever lied?" Reborn leisurely replied, relaxing into his seat. "Besides, who are we going to take with us?"

"Skull," Luce instantly said in return, which set off a chain reaction around the room from some members.

"What? Why that idiot, kora?"

"Yeah, why me?" Skull asked in return, no longer fiddling with his piercing so he could look up the table at Luce. Reborn had twitched in his seat at the suggestion but didn't act negatively to it, not wanting to say anything that would hinder the chances of solving the mystery of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"You aren't as exuberant or as violent as some of them Skull. We don't want to scare Sawada-san." Luce smiled softly at him. "If I had it my way, Reborn wouldn't be going because of _his_ attitude, but Sawada-san will probably need a familiar face to remain calm and not panic."

Skull sighed through his nose softly but nodded to agree, standing slowly and shoving his hands in his pockets. Fon followed suit, rising to his own feet and waiting patiently for Reborn to stand.

Reborn picked up his hat and stuffed it back on his head as he stood, picking the ring back up off of the table and dropping it into his pocket. Instantly, he felt its weight again, heavier than before and almost oppressing.

Before he could leave, Luce called out, "If you're looking for answers, why haven't you questioned the girls that were involved in this?"

Reborn grimaced, looking over to Luce. "They left out of fear. As soon as they were conscious, both had themselves transferred to a non-magickal school. We haven't got the details of where they left to." To the other two, who were supposed to go with him, he muttered, "Let's check the Primo dorm first. I'm pretty sure Sawada Tsunayoshi couldn't have gotten far."

* * *

Giotto pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against when the door to the bathroom opened. Tsuna shuffled out of the opening, messing about with the hem of the shirt. The clothes were some of Giotto's own, but they were large on Tsuna's lithe frame. Giotto bit back a smile out of this and lifted his right hand, his ring flickering.

Tsuna flinched as the clothes started twisting around him of their own accord, though he relaxed when he realised that all that was happening, was that the borrowed clothing had tightened slightly around him, shrinking to his size while not being tight and restricting.

"Is that better?" Giotto asked, asking not only about the change to the clothes, but the shower as well and Tsuna nodded timidly, exhaustion clear on his face.

"A lot better. Thank you."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Giotto enquired softly and was not prepared at _all_ when Tsuna's large eyes suddenly welled with tears and the boy started sobbing, lifting his hands to his face. Sounding slightly hysterical with panic at Tsuna's response and actions, Giotto stammered, "T-Tsuna?"

"He was d-dead! Oh god, that man w-was dead, I j-just looked and he w-was dead." Tsuna babbled, mostly incoherent and Giotto quickly pieced the parts together, expression turning grim.

"Someone killed him?" Giotto asked, gripping Tsuna's shoulders gently and Tsuna nodded jerkily. What he said next made Giotto's blood run cold in an unknown feeling.

"When I got there, h-he was a-alive. I c-closed my eyes f-for just a moment a-and then he was d-dead." Tsuna rubbed his face fiercely with his hands, hitched sobs still breaking out of his chest.

Giotto stared down at him, mentally going over what he had been told, something in his stomach clenching. Whatever had killed the man had been quick, and Tsuna had been close enough to it all to be sprayed with blood. The younger teen could have died. _That_ thought resounded loudly in his head and made his gut tighten again.

"How long did it take you to notice?"

"I o-only closed m-my eyes for a moment," Tsuna repeated voice quiet enough Giotto had to strain to hear, "A-And then h-he was dead."

"It must have been some powerful Mist magick. I'll have to have Daemon check the Infirmary for any residue of magick. I think he could have been killed while your eyes were still open but an illusion would have shown nothing out of place. By the time you closed and then opened your eyes again, the magick would have run out and the man would have been dead. My guess it was an accomplice, not wanting the man to speak." Giotto rubbed Tsuna's shoulder carefully with one of his hands, trying to soothe him because he looked panicked and terrified. He _would_ have hugged the boy, but he didn't know what his intent would be perceived as. He didn't want scare him anymore than he was already.

"Illusion?" Tsuna questioned softly, and Giotto wondered if he heard relief in the brunette's voice or if it was his imagination.

"That would be my educated guess. Are you ready to come through now? Your friends are waiting."

"F-Friends?" Tsuna sounded unsure and Giotto nodded as he replied, "Yamamoto-san, Gokudera-san and Rokudo-san, right? They brought you here after all, Tsuna."

"I wouldn't s-say they were friends of m-mine..." The stutters were smaller and further in between as Tsuna had caught his breath from the sobbing he had been giving. "Yamamoto-san was just there w-when...the Infirmary. I don't k-know where Gokudera-san and Rokudo-senpai came from. Though, b-before I passed o-out I heard Yamamoto-san call someone."

"Yamamoto-san seemed very worried for you." Giotto smiled. "Let's go ease his mind, shall we?"

"Y-Yes, I suppose so." Tsuna nodded, and let himself get gently herded by Giotto. He felt exhausted, a migraine building up behind his eyes and pulsing with pain whenever his heart beat. While in the shower it had been all he could do not to slump against the wall and pass out in the warmth offered by the water. Being locked in the room had given him some sort of comfort, where he could be separated from everyone else and cry, tears hidden in the midst of the shower water. He had a somewhat odd suspicion that Giotto had only let him have a shower not only to clean, but to cry as well. He was thankful for that, to a degree.

"Sawada-san!" Yamamoto called cheerfully as he saw Tsuna pushed into the room, jumping up off of the couch and standing. "Are you better now? You definitely look cleaner! It's such a relief to see you all clean and moving about!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm better now." Tsuna smiled weakly at Yamamoto and added quickly, before the other could speak, "And please, call me Tsuna, Yamamoto-san."

Yamamoto walked across the room until he was opposite Tsuna, grinning down at him since he was taller. Tsuna faintly registered Giotto's hand tightening on his shoulder before Yamamoto laughed and ruffled his hair cheerfully.

"Tsuna's fine by me!" Yamamoto declared, keeping his hand resting on Tsuna's unruly locks for a few moments as he asked, quietly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tsuna flinched gently and sympathy crossed Yamamoto's face, though Tsuna replied in the positive, inclining his head in a nod as a reply. With his movement, Yamamoto's hand slid free of his hair and the black haired boy let his arm drop back down to his side.

"I'm glad to see that," Yamamoto said sincerely. "I was worried you were hurt!"

"Worried?" Tsuna jerked, genuinely shocked and Yamamoto laughed at his expression, replying with a wide smile, "Of course! You're my classmate! I'm supposed to be worried!"

"Yamamoto-san..." Tsuna stared at him with wide eyes for a long moment, before smiling brightly, "Thank you for worrying about me! And, for causing that worry, I apologise."

Yamamoto laughed almost nervously, a little startled by Tsuna's sudden and almost blinding smile. "Maa, maa. Nobody deserves to have gone through what you have. It's only natural to be worried."

Tsuna frowned suddenly, making the taller teen gulp, eyes on the brunette's face because of the serious look. Within moments, Tsuna was smiling again, though a little timidly this time, "Does this mean we're f-friends?"

Before Yamamoto could reply, Mukuro lazily called out, "My, aren't you a cute one Sawada Tsunayoshi? Be my friend too, Tsuna-chan."

Tsuna flushed in mortification and Yamamoto laughed it off, patting his head again. "Sure we can be friends, Tsuna! It's your choice about Rokudo-senpai; however, I can't make the choice if you want to be friends with him."

Glancing over at Mukuro and pursing his lips for a moment in thought, Tsuna finally offered him a smile. "I don't mind being your friend too, Rokudo-senpai."

"You better accept, Tsuna-chan." Mukuro, who had been sat on the couch, rest his chin on his hand, his tone sounding almost scolding. "After all, I carried you here. I think you owe me for that, hmm?"

Tsuna's face darkened in colour again and he folded his arms jerkily. "I didn't ask to pass out," he said softly. "And I certainly didn't ask to see what I had." His jaw was clenched firmly and Mukuro blinked at him before laughing.

"I'm sure you didn't Tsuna-chan. Very well, I won't claim that you owe me this time." Mukuro closed his eyes as he gave Cheshire Cat like grin. "I hope we get along well."

"I hope so too," Tsuna muttered warily and without much conviction, before being prompted to look up at Giotto as the blonde squeezed his shoulder.

"While you're here, would you like to meet the Primo dorm's members? There're only a few of us in this building, the rest of them graduated because they were a year ahead."

"Or weren't told to repeat a year," a soft voice called across the room, Asari still sat and reading his book in his seat, sending a smile to Tsuna.

Tsuna smiled in return, giving a careful sort of wave. Asari opened his mouth to speak again when there was a loud knock at the main door. Giotto wrinkled his nose and gently pushed Tsuna forward into the lounge, almost pushing him into Yamamoto.

"Stay here, I'll get it." Giotto glanced around the room, as if warning everyone to remain where they were sat before he walked out of the room and down the corridor. Sighing through his nose because of his befuddled thoughts, he answered the door with less conviction than normal. He even forewent his customary and cheery greeting as he opened the door by asking, "What is it?" as soon as he the figure came into sight.

"Now, is that the way to greet someone who came to visit Giotto?" Reborn moved to tilt his fedora up, eyeing Giotto with a raised eyebrow. The two met eye to eye, even with Reborn being taller by just the smallest amount. The difference of height was almost infinitesimal, as one had to nearly squint to see this.

"Reborn. Now this is a surprise." Giotto leaned against the doorframe, looking past Reborn at Fon and Skull, "With visitors too. What can I owe this appearance at my door to?" The smile that crossed Reborn's face almost made shivers run down Giotto's spine, but the blonde had faced off the other many times before. It still came as a shock when Reborn lazily gave his answer, tugging his hat down to shield his eyes again.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is here, isn't here? I came to talk to him."

Giotto's stance turned wary, his posture stiffening just slightly in the doorway. "Oh? And what do you need to talk to him about?"

"I don't believe that to be any of your business, Giotto, just my own." Reborn jammed his hands into his pockets. "Is he inside or not? I'm pretty sure Verde would have told us if he had left by now."

"I'm not going to let you in until you answer, Reborn. What do you need with a kid like him? He doesn't need someone like you poking into his life, he's already gone through shit this week and you don't need to add to the list of his grief."

"Being protective of him, are you? Now this is a surprise."

"The kid blinked and a man was murdered in front of him. You didn't see him Reborn, when he was brought here. There was blood on face, his hands and arms and even in his hair. He was close enough to that man and his murderer to get soaked." Giotto straightened, smug at seeing the shock tighten the corner of Reborn's mouth slightly as it turned down. "So he doesn't need you to make things worse."

"I may not be able to make anything better, but I'm certainly not going to make it worse Giotto." Reborn had been silent for a long time before he had replied. "This is very important. Tsuna would want to know what's going on."

"Just tell him!" Skull finally said, exasperated. "Instead of skirting around the bush and trying to worm your way inside, tell him about the goddamn – " he was promptly cut off as Reborn twisted around and punched him in the jaw before facing Giotto again.

"We have to approach these matters professionally and gently, Skull. Like handling glass, one wrong move and everything breaks. Giotto, please – " the blonde jerked at this; Reborn never begged. "- Just let us in. This is important, like I said. Even Luce wants answers to this. If you want you can be in the room when we approach Tsuna with this matter – in fact you might _need_ to be there- but we have to be let in."

Giotto stared at him for a long moment, before begrudgingly stepping aside and walking back to the room, expecting to be followed automatically. Reborn entered after him, being followed by a silent Fon and groaning Skull, the latter of which was cradling his jaw in his hands.

Tsuna had been coerced into sitting on the couch, wedged between Mukuro and Yamamoto by the time Giotto returned with Reborn, Fon and Skull. At seeing Reborn, he had jerked to his feet, brow furrowing in irritation. Moments later, his expression brightened again at the sight of Fon and he smiled slightly.

"Fon-senpai! Nice to see you again!"

"Likewise, Tsuna." Fon bowed his head in greeting, unable to help himself smiling at the boy's enthusiasm and Reborn's irritation at being ignored.

"Who is your friend?" Tsuna's curious eyes drifted past him to Skull. "Did he get hurt?"

"Reborn punched him," Fon explained, smiling almost apologetically for some reason or another. "This is Skull."

"I'm not surprised Reborn would do something like that," Tsuna said airily. "Considering what he did to me on Tuesday."

Reborn was smirking all of a sudden at Tsuna's phrasing even as the room went completely silent. Yamamoto broke it by laughing and asking, "What do you mean by that Tsuna?"

Tsuna let his lip curl gently in a sneer that looked too close to an angry pout. "In the classroom, remember? When he grabbed onto me and tried to force me into making magick. _Then_ he dragged me to the I-Infirmary – " Tsuna's voice hitched slightly at the word. "- even though I was perfectly able to walk there without his help, of which, may I add, he forced on me."

"Oh, when you had a fever! I remember now!" Yamamoto chuckled again; tugging on Tsuna's elbow and having him sit down. "I thought you were going to throw up! What spell did he try to make you do?"

"The same one I demonstrated," Reborn broke into the conversation. The tense atmosphere had completely broken with Tsuna's explaining of the situation. "But Dame-Tsuna couldn't even do something as simple as that. It's not what I'm here for though. I'm here about what happened on Wednesday."

Tsuna flinched very noticeably, grimacing and looking away from Reborn, frowning as he stared at a blank spot on the floor. He didn't want to be reminded of that day. His chest still ached a little and the imagery he had seen earlier on in the day had done wonders in keeping his mind away from the events that had possibly occurred.

Reborn glanced around the room, taking in each face individually. He didn't seem particularly pleased at seeing Mukuro but spoke out to everyone present. "For whatever may happen next, you're all to keep your mouths shut. If you can't do that, then leave or suffer the consequences if you blab."

When no one opposed him, Reborn nodded, satisfied, and turned to face Tsuna again approaching him slowly until he was a few feet away. Reaching into his pocket he closed his fingers around the ring and pulled his hand back out, presenting the band towards Tsuna on his palm by slowly unfurling his fingers. "What do you think of this?"

At first Tsuna had refused to look at Reborn but curiosity got the better of him and he peered over. As soon as he caught sight of the ring, he stiffened very noticeably. Angry, fury, rage. The intensity of his feelings was all he knew, hitting him like a tidal wave, incoherent words and phrases screaming inside of him at the sight of the ring. His breathing had hitched, coming in considerably faster as his eyes widened with shock, anger swirling deep in their depths. Magick clawed at his throat, stealing his breath and he clenched his hands into tight, shaking fists, the urge to _attack_ Reborn growing larger and larger the longer time passed by. His migraine was back, more painful than it had been before.

Tsuna's reaction was almost forgotten as Giotto angrily asked, "Where on earth did you get that?"

Reborn turned to fix Giotto a baleful look. "Considering who I'm presenting it to, don't you think you should use your brain an – " It was instincts and sheer skill that had Reborn twisting to the side as Tsuna's fist shot past his face, knuckle just about grazing by his cheek because of how close it had been.

Reborn twisted his head just slightly to eye Tsuna, raising an eyebrow at his reaction even as he slowly relaxed, shaking his head at the brunette's actions. He had thought that the near punch had been just a lucky shot from Tsuna because Reborn's attention had been elsewhere.

"Dame-Tsuna, did you really think that – " Tsuna's hand by his face promptly turned, clamping down tightly onto his cheek, fingers digging into Reborn's jaw and cheekbone with painful force. With a flick of the wrist Reborn was violently tossed to the side like he was nothing more than a ragdoll.

Reborn wasn't who he was for nothing, easily landing in a safe manner with the brief help of magick, quickly shoving the ring he had shown back into his pocket. Before he could recover, however, Fon was in front of him, waving his hand and destroying the table that had been sailing in their direction with a sharp blast of magick. Even before the shards of wood had hit the floor, Tsuna was propelling towards them through the wreckage, arm pulling back for a punch, eyes lighting up in fury and orange. He had yet to show his Flames, however.

The rest of the room was frozen in shock even as Reborn and Fon quickly dodged, Tsuna smashing through the wall as he missed them, unable to stop himself because of his momentum. As he passed, the look he gave them was fierce, face twisted with vehemence, lip curled in a sneer.

"Well, this certainly turned interesting, didn't it?" Reborn asked Fon, dusting his hands on his legs, ring lighting up with his magick. Fon was adjusting his sleeves as his own ring started glittering bright red with his Storm Flame.

"I didn't think a person like Tsuna could have such malicious intents when he was so calm and collected before." Fon pursed his lips, frowning at the hole in the wall.

The room was quiet then, broken only by the sound of plaster falling loose from where it had been torn by Tsuna's passing before Gokudera, who had been staring, mouth agape, asked, "What the _hell_ just happened?"

That was when Tsunayoshi burst through the hole that had been made in a blaze of burnt sienna coloured Sky Flames and ferocity, all but screeching his rage at Reborn.

"_**How dare you take Tsuna's ring!"**_

* * *

I feel as if I made Mukuro some sort of closet pervert maybe...? I don't know, something about how I wrote him out I'm unsure about and it's getting to me. I'm going to stop poking at this for any longer, however. I keep adding things, pulling parts out, rewriting paragraphs...

I'm feeling kinda bad right now though. Ryohei was asked for by someone and I've not managed to bring him in this time either, yet I've brought in characters that haven't been asked for into the mix...well, all for advancement of the story, huh?

I've also missed out other requests, including the Varia and Xanxus but I wanted to leave it on somewhat of a cliffhanger haha...I'm determined to try and get them in next time, so please, be patient. I'm sorry for not getting them in.

Do you have any idea on who you want interaction with next? If there's a particular character, just say (should I put a poll up for it? I was hoping to keep track of it chapter by chapter, but if a poll is easier...) otherwise I'll just progress with how I think best. I don't want to miss out any characters someone might want to see.

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0 + 0  
- Reborn: 1 + 1(? – someone thought he left too earlier in the second chapter)  
- Fon: 2 + 0  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 1 + 3  
Gokudera Hayato: 1 + 0  
Rokudo Mukuro: 3 + 2  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1 + 0  
Hibari Kyoya: 1 + 0  
Dino: 0 + 0  
The Varia (Particular member?): 0 + 1  
- Xanxus: 0 + 1  
Giotto: 1 + 1  
G: 0 + 0  
Knuckle: 0 + 0  
Asari: 0 + 0  
Alaude: 1 + 0  
Daemon: 0 + 0


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **I thought that most people believed 'schizophrenia' to be disorder which comprised of two or more personalities within one body and that's why I used it. However, I seem to have confused several others as well. Now, I'm debating whether or not I should change the word 'schizophrenia' to 'multiple personality disorder'. Would this be better?

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Soul Vrazy** (I'm glad you liked this chapter! Here's the next one!)

**Schwarzien.D'Seventh **(It's DID – Dissociative Identity Disorder – or MPD – Multiple Personality Disorder – that Tsuna has. However, (at least in here in Britain) a lot of people who talk about a person who is schizophrenic talk about the fact that the person has more than personality (well, the people I know think this way lol). Quite a few people have approached about this, and because of that I was thinking of changing the summary so I don't confuse anyone. It reminds me of Ichigo and his Hollow as well now that I think about it, expect Tsuna has no idea of Tsunayoshi's existence and doesn't oppose it or fight it. And yes, I am doing pairings! It's why I ask who you want to be seen next, so relationships can start to develop. Hope I've cleared up all and any confusion!)

**Sachiel Angelo** (Well, there's quite a bit of Reborn here for you, so I hope you enjoy him while he lasts lmao. I literally start the beginning of the next chapter shortly after posting the one before each time I update, so you don't have to wait too long in between. Here's the next chapter already here for you!)

**ShinDragonX **(And I like how you keep reviewing! It makes me happy x3. There's Fon in here and a little bit of Skull. It seems to me that Fon is a favourite of yours...? Not that I'm complaining, he's interesting to write!)

**KitsuneNaru **(Haha, yeah, pervert!Mukuro sure is pretty funny in his own rights, if a little creepy in my opinion, even though I'm the one writing him. Then again, I'm kind of hoping he's creepy, his character is supposed to be like that, right? And yup! Tsunayoshi is out and angry)

**Sylvia-san** (I can't help but cliffhangers. I'd want to carry on writing but then I'm afraid I'd cram too much into chapters and then end up with miles upon miles of writing...I don't want to put too much...unless that isn't an issue? Anyway, I'm glad that you're interested in and here's another chapter!)

**Aurla0 **(Seems quite a few people are talking about that. Should I change it to Multiple Personality Disorder in the summary? It'd probably cause less confusion right? Other than that, I'm happy you find this interesting and here's an update, nya)

**Shanagi95 **(Yup, the cat's out of the bag now! No hiding anymore for Tsunayoshi now everybody's seen him. I haven't managed to get Hibari in here, I'm sorry, but in the next chapter the weekend would have ended and we can see more of him.)

**Ultimatebishoujo21 **(Well, now you no longer need to wonder!)

**GakuenAngel12 **(Why, thank you! I've seen stories where Tsuna's personality changes slightly when he's in Hyper Dying Will Mode, but not outright different personalities within the same body like here and so I was aiming for something different. I'll keep it up if I can!)

**Mangopudding **(Oh, I didn't mean to be cruel! I'm sorry, haha, but hopefully this update was quick enough to make up for it! Yamamoto and Reborn are in this one, and a passing mention of Alaude. Don't worry, I'll have him and Hibari in the next one for definite!)

**Narutopokefan **(Tsunayoshi's just an angry bundle of rage and easily provoked. If he thinks it's good for Tsuna and he's able to get out, he'll waste no time in taking over and breaking everything in sight! Xanxus is in this one, just briefly but to carry on (I've honestly only just realised that about his name. I giggled so much) and Hibari will definitely be in the next one.)

**Yuu3 **(No worries! Anyway, if you want a spoiler for better understanding, just send me a PM of your question so nobody else has the story ruined for them if they don't want that extra bit of information. What I meant by being at Vongola Academy from start to end is that most of the students with the odd exception (like Tsuna) start the school at about four years of age and then finish at eighteen unless they choose to stay on. Students don't normally come along in the middle. Because Vongola is the only magickal place of study, if a person has magick they train there and learn there without leaving and have to start there to learn control. I'm glad you love this story! I don't mean for it to be rushed but I'm happy to hear it doesn't ruin the story. **YOU'RE MY 50****th**** REVIEWER! I was wondering, would you like a oneshot or something of your favourite pairing or just of a certain genre? I just feel like giving something in thanks!)**

**Dazed **(When and where and I'll see if I can be there haha! And you're so nice in saying that, it's making me smile as well! I'm glad I'm doing well)

**Pokermaniac039 **(Glad you love it and now here's an update)

**Xiang Yun **(Yup, he's incredibly angry. Tsunayoshi is definitely pissed. I'll keep it up if I can)

**Anydayanywhere **(Thank you! I was hoping to bring along curiosity, I want people to think that way of this story. I'm relieved that you think that the character's reactions are adequate)

**Taira-keimei **(Thank you for the review (and alert?)! And you're welcome for the update!)

**Tujing **(Haha, now I'm afraid that I've not done the fight scene justice...I'm bad at 'action' scenes in general, so I'm sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for...)

**WhiteAngel128 **(Multiple characters are fine! Sorry, but a majority of them aren't in this chapter, but I'm sure I'll manage to meet requests for characters in the next chapter after this – no promises though, I'm sorry)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Chapter Four – Who He Is**

Reborn barely managed to duck and avoid Tsuna as the screaming brunette threw himself at him. There was a sickening feeling rising in him at hearing the boy refer to himself in third person, but what worried him the most was the Flames engulfing Tsuna's hands. He'd felt the heat of them as they had passed and knew, for a fact, that if Tsuna didn't stop, he could lose the use of his hands.

Fon mirrored his worries. "The ring hasn't accepted his Flame because his magick has already imprinted on the ring you have Reborn. He's going to injure himself if we can't calm him down." Fon grabbed Tsuna's arm when it came sailing past, Flames making his eyes water and his hand sting. Despite this, he yanked and let his foot sweep across the floor, knocking Tsuna over and making the boy snarl, disconcertingly orange eyes glaring daggers at him.

Tsunayoshi was angry. No. He was _beyond_ angry. He was pissed. The fury was blinding. How dare this man saunter into Tsuna's life and flip it upside down? With that thought, a wild noise left his throat and he launched himself off of the floor towards Reborn. The taller man grabbed his hand to avoid being punched, ring blazing brightly to shield his hand from being burnt by the Sky Flames.

"Tsuna, calm down!" Reborn shouted at him. "Don't do anything rash, you idiot!"

"Don't call his name!" Tsunayoshi howled at him, Flames on his captured fist burning hotter and brighter. "Don't you dare call his name!"

"Whose name Tsuna?" Reborn replied sharply, upper lip twitching as he started to sweat under the intensity of Tsunayoshi's Flames.

"Tsuna's! Don't you dare call his name!" Tsunayoshi lifted his second hand suddenly to slam it into Reborn's gut, doubling him over. He kept his fist pressed against Reborn's stomach, magick making his body tremble as he prepared himself to blast a hole through the black haired man.

Tsunayoshi had managed to get a third of the way through the incantation, hand warming considerably and Reborn lurching to cough blood out when a spell thrown quickly by Fon thudded into the side of Tsunayoshi's ribs and making pain flare sharply, sending him away from Reborn and careening over the couch to land on Mukuro's lap. Yamamoto had long since retreated to the wall of the room with Gokudera, Skull and Giotto to avoid the fighting. Mukuro was too proud for that.

Mukuro looked down at him with a lazy smirk, resting his head in his hand. The odd feeling was jerking through him at intervals again. Fear, excitement, fear, excitement. With the ease of an expert, he hid what he was experiencing. Besides, he was too intrigued by the Flames to let his emotions get the better of him and his eyebrows rose at seeing those expressive eyes fired up with passionate orange again. Unable to help himself, he even brushed Tsunayoshi's hair back from his forehead so he could better see his eyes.

Tsunayoshi blankly returned his look before throwing himself to his feet and twisting to face Reborn again, lifting his right hand close to his face, clenching his fingers into a fist as the Flames flared harshly. He didn't care about anything but teaching that smug, fedora wearing bastard where his place was.

He was about to take a step forward when he registered the pain his hands were in, a whimper rising in his throat because of Tsuna's subconscious. The spark of pain was enough to snap his mind back into focus and he growled, letting the fire die away until it was just sparks around his fingers. With hands sore but not so badly damaged he couldn't use them, Tsunayoshi sneered at Reborn as he approached him, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly prickle with his intuition. He barely managed to lift his arm in time to block the bolt of red that collided with his wrist courtesy of Fon, agony making him stagger for a moment.

Pain this intense was something Tsuna's body couldn't quite handle. The small things that happened during the day, through the bullying, that was simple enough to ignore. _Magick_ inflicted pain was almost unbearable, and the more pain he felt, the more Tsunayoshi felt his anger rising. He had made a promise Tsuna that he wouldn't let him get hurt. He was going to keep it by getting rid of anything and anyone that came across as a threat.

Waving away the last tingles in his hand as a result of the collision, Tsunayoshi clapped his hands, rubbing his palms together, feeling his magick swirl within him, ready to obey his will as his hands warmed from the friction. His spells and strength might not be as potent as they were when his Flames burned their brightest but he knew that he could still cause some damage with almost disturbing ease. Tsunayoshi still knew that he was a danger to the others and that was what he wanted.

He eyed Reborn and Fon where they were standing across the room, Reborn in an offensive posture and Fon in more of a defensive stance. Neither of them really wanted to cause harm to the small boy, but it was an issue that would be hard to avoid with how he was acting.

Reborn was about to ask Fon what he suggested they do when, with a crook of Tsunayoshi's index finger, the broken shards of the table lifted into the air, sharp points facing towards the pair across the room. With a sardonic smirk, Tsunayoshi flicked his hand and launched the splinters with ferocity in their direction.

Fon stepped forward this time to wave them aside, away from anyone else and into the wall. He hadn't realised that Tsunayoshi had followed straight after them until the lithe boy was crouched right in front of Fon and jerked upwards, heel of his palm slamming into Fon's chin and knocking him away with a sharp 'crack' noise. Before Fon had even hit the floor, Tsunayoshi pivoted and whipped his foot up and around to kick Reborn, but his ankle was tightly caught.

"Tsuna," Reborn began, tightening his fingers around the foot he had caught when Tsunayoshi bristled, "I'll let you go once you've calmed down." Reborn was keeping his hand as tight as he dared, though because of the magick rushing through the brunette he could feel sparks under his fingers.

"Tsunayoshi," the brunette spat back and, at the confusion on Reborn's face, his tone turned mocking as he continued, "I'm Tsunayoshi. Not Tsuna."

"That's funny. I remember you telling everyone to call you Tsuna."

"I didn't do that," Tsunayoshi snarled at Reborn ferociously. "_Tsuna_ told everyone to call _him_ that you bastard. I'm Tsunayoshi. And I already told you; _stop calling Tsuna's name!"_

Despite the sensitivity of his skin, Tsunayoshi jerked his right hand to face Reborn palm first, even though he couldn't reach. He wasn't aiming to get that close, however, and Reborn realised this almost too late as Tsunayoshi bared his teeth and his arm ignited again, Sky Flames bursting forth and leaving in tendrils from the ends of his fingertips.

Reborn was forced to let go of his ankle and twist out of the way, backing towards Fon who was already on his feet again, the Chinese teen dusting himself down gently.

"Tsunayoshi," Reborn hummed in thought before peering at Fon from the corner of his eye. "How's the face?"

"If he had been using his Flames, I have no doubt the force would have either broken my neck or torn my head off Reborn." Fon spat blood to the side, wiping his mouth gently. "If that kick had hit, you might have been badly hurt. How's your hand?"

"I can tell that. It hurt my hand to catch him and I'm still trying to get all the feeling back to my fingertips." Reborn narrowed his eyes sharply at Tsunayoshi. "Seems like a drastic change in such a meek little kid, huh?"

"Greatly so." Fon eyed Tsunayoshi as he watched them. The irate boy was pacing back and forth as he stared back at them, right arm cradled close. His skin was red, the last stunt to free himself from Reborn having burnt him. Fon's eyes widened at the movement behind Tsunayoshi, as he had seen Skull start to approach.

"He's going to get himself hurt," Reborn murmured softly, having seen Skull himself. "Guess we're going to have to go back out there, huh?"

What happened next came as a surprise to the both of them.

Tsunayoshi hadn't realised that Skull was approaching until the pierced male gripped the back of his shirt and tugged, raising his voice to say in a weak voice, "There's no use in fighting a losing battle Sawada Tsunayoshi. With magick burns like that, you're going to lose the use of your hands and that'll get you nowhere."

Tsunayoshi had been just about ready to whip around and tear into this new distraction when the words registered and he dropped his eyes to his hands, confusion and worry replacing the anger in his eyes. "Tsuna will..." he mumbled to himself, fingers twitching. "I'm hurting Tsuna by doing this?"

Tsuna was important to Tsunayoshi, immensely so. He couldn't even begin to put his feelings into words or even start to understand what he felt. He only knew that he needed to care for the shy, unprotected counterpart to this body.

Skull let out a deep breath that he had been holding, before he looked past Tsunayoshi and gave a smug look to Reborn who glowered in return and shoved his hands into his pockets. Fon kept his eyes on them even as he gently probed against his jaw where he had been hit, wincing at the pain.

With Tsunayoshi deceptively calm now, eyes still on his hands, something Reborn was wary about, the Sun Flame wielder called out, "So, Tsuna, ca – "

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you to not say his name? I'm Tsunayoshi, not Tsuna, and you don't deserve the honour of calling him anyway!" Tsunayoshi pretty much roared it at Reborn but this time, instead of fury filling his eyes, it was only irritation. "And give Tsuna back that ring!" He jerked his palm out in Reborn's direction expectantly.

"Not yet." Reborn ignored the animalistic noise of anger Tsunayoshi gave and added, "At least, not until you explain why I call you Tsunayoshi."

"Because I'm Tsunayoshi," the boy hissed. "How many times do I have to explain it? Isn't it simple enough that there's Tsuna and then there's me? Are you going to give me Tsuna's ring, or not?"

"No," Reborn bluntly replied, relaxing now that he was sure that Tsunayoshi wasn't going to attack him because of what Skull had said. It was because of that he didn't expect it when Tsunayoshi was suddenly opposite him – 'When had he moved?' Reborn briefly panicked – and reached out to grab his face, slamming him down into the floor and sitting on his stomach, index finger of his right hand pointing to Reborn's eye.

Leaning closer, Tsunayoshi whispered, "I will _destroy_ you Reborn." His finger sparked in heat and Reborn swallowed in worry. Tsunayoshi let a smile curve his lips at the reaction.

"Oh, so you understand the situation now? I will tell you one more time, and I will make it simple for your foolish mind." Tsunayoshi dropped his finger from Reborn's eye to run it along the curve of his bruised cheekbone instead, leaving a blazing trail of warmth as he leaned in close to speak in Reborn's ear.

"I am _Tsunayoshi._ I am here to look after Tsuna and keep him safe from the likes of _you._ Know that. _Tsuna_ is the person who I have promised I won't let harm befall any longer." Tsunayoshi lifted his free hand to press over where his heart was, eyes narrowing at Reborn.

"When he woke up this morning, he was upset at seeing his ring gone. To make him happy, I need that ring back. You're going to give it to me, or I'm going to let your brains paint the floor. Got it?" His orange eyes slanted to the side to give Fon a warning look. "Nobody else better come close either, you got that? All I want is that ring, and then Tsuna will be happy."

Reborn slowly reached into his pocket and closed his fingers around the ring, pulling it out with equal wariness as he brought his arm up so Tsunayoshi could see the ring. As soon as Tsunayoshi grabbed onto it, the brunette jumped to his feet and placed the ring in his teeth, using his left hand to pull the silver band on his right hand off, throwing it to the floor.

Removing the ring from between his teeth, Tsunayoshi gently slid it into the space the previous one had been in, smiling reverently at the glowing orange stone. "I got your ring back Tsuna. You gotta be happy now, hear that?"

Tsunayoshi inhaled deeply through his nose and then looked at Reborn with barely hidden disdain, though he wasn't really trying to disguise his contempt. "So long as you don't become a threat to Tsuna, I won't kill you. But it isn't a warning, rather a promise when I tell you to back away from Tsuna. He doesn't need anyone but me." Tsunayoshi cast a look about the room, repeating his words louder for everyone to hear before he turned on his heel and walked towards the door.

"Besides," Tsunayoshi called over his shoulder. "It's _your_ fault that I had to come back for Tsuna anyway. I suppose I should be thankful, but I can only bring myself to hate you, Reborn-'senpai'."

Halfway across the room he pitched sideways and collapsed unconscious, falling so limply and quickly it was if he were a puppet that had had its strings cut.

* * *

"There's more than one person in Tsuna-chan," Mukuro offered helpfully to the group that was crowded around the sleeping boy, who, after much consideration, had been moved onto a sofa ever so carefully and warily.

"More than one person?" Yamamoto asked this before anyone else could. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Mukuro chuckled. "I don't know why Reborn-senpai didn't get it. There is Tsuna-chan and then there's Tsunayoshi-kun. Two people and one body. I would assume Tsuna-chan is the dominant persona, however, since Tsunayoshi-kun only came out when he thought Tsuna-chan was under threat from Reborn-senpai, or because he was angry at him."

"If there's going to be no respect from you adding that 'endearment' Rokudo, then don't call me senpai," Reborn muttered from his position knelt next to the sofa. He had Tsuna's right arm in his hands, a soft yellow Sun Flame encompassing the limb so he could heal the burnt damage. "I'll have to admit, as much as I hate it, that you're most likely right. Like what happened in 1-E, this 'Tsunayoshi' obviously knew or understood that Tsuna was being threatened and so attacked the danger."

"Reborn, you don't think..." Skull suddenly mumbled out, messing with his piercing nervously when Reborn fixed him a cool stare.

"Yes, I do think that Tsuna was the one to kill that man. In fact, it was most probably 'Tsunayoshi'. The person who caused direct pain and threat to Tsuna was still alive, so, judging from 'Tsunayoshi's' protective sort of personality, he probably wanted the threat gone permanently. I suppose I'm lucky he didn't see me a direct danger to Tsuna's health."

"It can't just stay like this," Giotto finally spoke his thoughts out. "He wields a Sky Flame and we can see that he's dangerous when provoked. Okay, so we think that he came out after Tsuna became injured. This time, all that had to happen was for him to see a ring. What if he attacks someone for just nudging into him? It seems to me that this other side to him can take over with startling ease."

"Ah..." Yamamoto tapped his mouth. "Tsuna gets bullied a lot. What do you think would happen if someone tripped him up in school?"

"Geez, there's too much thinking to this!" Gokudera suddenly shouted, angrily ruffling his hair between his hands. "There's nothing we really _can_ do, am I right? Hell, we could lock him up and keep him away from everyone, but what's the point in that? He'd probably get out and hunt us all down or some shit like that. After that, what else is there we can do? Follow him every day for the rest of his life?"

Giotto's eyes lit up at Gokudera's suggestion. "Yes! That's it! We can change living arrangements, have someone move into his dorm with him that knows, and make sure someone's always in his class! If we gain his trust and make sure Tsunayoshi doesn't see us as a threat, then maybe he won't make an appearance because _we_ can protect him."

"You heard him though," Reborn snorted. "That Tsuna doesn't need anyone but him." He set the sleeping boy's arm back by his side. "But I think it would be the best that we can go along with. The pressing question is; do we risk his wrath by taking his ring, or let people see he has a Sky Flame?"

"Why don't we ask him?" Yamamoto asked cheerfully. "I mean, ask him if he keeps his ring off unless he feels threatened that is? People might crowd him if he's wearing it and that could be worse than the bullying. If it's for his own good, then maybe he'll agree to it. I mean, Tsuna doesn't seem the type to take a suggestion badly, but if there's a second personality, then it could be influencing him. We just have to make sure that we make our choice for him out to be the best choice."

Several pairs of eyes turned to face Yamamoto and he laughed sheepishly, rubbing his head at the shocked expressions. The intelligence he had expressed was almost startling, as Yamamoto wasn't known for his smarts, just his sports prowess.

"It's settled!" Giotto suddenly clapped his hands. "Let's make friends with Tsuna!"

"Oya, I'm already his friend," Mukuro said almost proudly. "Don't group me in with you lot."

"Who would want a friend like you? I'm sure the Tenth could do with someone better than you." Gokudera snorted and, before Mukuro could reply, Tsuna gave off a groan, shifting his weight on the couch as his eyelids fluttered.

The group froze, unsure who should approach; _if_ they should approach. Even Reborn had stood and stepped away, making sure he wasn't too close to the waking boy.

Fon was the one who eventually moved, kneeling on the floor beside Tsuna's head, and his smiling face was the first thing the tired Tsuna saw. Blearily, Tsuna smiled back, sleepy brown eyes blinking slowly to try and wake himself up further. "Fon-senpai...this is the second time I've woken up and you've been here..."

"Yes, that does seem to be how our meetings come about Tsuna." Fon chuckled gently, immediately moving his hands to help Tsuna as soon as he noticed the struggle the other was facing trying to sit up.

"Mmhmm." Tsuna yawned, lifting his hand slowly to cover his mouth. "You seem to be a nice person though, Fon-senpai, so it doesn't seem to be a bad thing. I'm wondering if I should be worried over the possibility you might be watching me as I sleep."

Fon laughed softly, just nodding his head and keeping his hand on Tsuna's side until he was sure the boy was supported by the couch to stay sat up.

"I suppose it's just coincidence though. Fon-senpai." Tsuna rubbed his eye, blinking heavily again shortly afterwards as his senior waited for him to continue speaking. Eventually, Tsuna spoke, voice in a mumble, "What happened to this room?"

The room was a mess, no surprises there. There was the hole in the wall where plaster was still hanging loosely from, shattered remnants of the table stuck in another wall and scattered across the floor. There were scorch marks here and there across the floor and various pieces of furniture, from where Tsunayoshi had gotten too close or used them to launch from.

"Ah, that is – " Fon began, when Giotto suddenly groaned, fingers gripping onto his hair.

"Oh man, Alaude's gonna kill me when he sees this mess! And I've only just gotten him to forgive me for the last time, oh man..." Giotto shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you guys are probably going to want to leave so you don't have to face his wrath..." He laughed weakly, staring at the floor as he tried to figure out a way to clear up.

Tsuna blinked a few times, his mouth hanging open slightly before he asked, "Will you be okay cleaning up on your own? Would you like some help with it? T-Though I'm not very good at magick so it'd be slow going..."

"Not very good at magick my ass," Reborn gave a sarcastic bark of laughter suddenly. "Look at your hand, Dame-Tsuna; you've been rubbing your face with it long enough."

"What is that supposed to..." Tsuna trailed off, eyes widening as he caught sight of the ring on his finger. His throat closed up and he felt shock rock through him and he slumped into the couch. The colour had completely drained from his face and it was very noticeable.

"Tsuna?" Fon asked gently, resting his hand on Tsuna's knee. "Are you okay?"

"W-What is this?" Tsuna asked, his eyes on the ring. "Is this s-some sort of joke? Because I'm Dame-Tsuna, right, a-and you want to mess with my head or something?" His voice sounded both hurt and hopeful.

Fon squeezed his knee comfortingly. "This isn't a joke Tsuna." He smiled comfortingly. "That's your ring. However, it might be best if you keep it on you but hidden. It would cause you a lot of trouble and discomfort if it were to be seen, huh?"

Tsuna stared at him for a long moment before and, while shaking, lifted his left hand to his right, sliding the ring off so slowly it was if he were afraid any sudden movements would cause the ring to hurt him. When it was free of his finger he shoved it into his pocket, instantly jerking his hand out so he wouldn't have to touch it for any longer.

Fon straightened from his knelt position. "It would probably be best if you went back to your dorm, hmm? Decimo building right? Skull and I can walk you there." He smiled at someone and gestured. "You haven't met Skull yet, have you?"

Tsuna shook his head timidly and his eyes widened as Skull came into sight. Unnerved by the look, Skull rubbed his head and, sounding almost angry, asked, "What?"

"N-Nothing, Skull-senpai!" Tsuna hastily replied. "I've just never seen someone with piercings like yours before; they're pretty unique, huh?" He paused and then blushed. "Not to sound like I'm making fun of you or anything! They're pretty cool to be honest!"

"Really?" Skull gave him a startled look which turned a little embarrassed as Tsuna nodded enthusiastically at his question. "Uh huh!"

Skull laughed as he felt his cheeks burn with a blush. "T-Thanks, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"You can call me Tsuna if you want, Skull-senpai!" Tsuna chirped, before lowering his voice and curling his hand around his mouth as he said, in a conspirators whisper, "Besides, we're both victims of Reborn-senpai, right?" Tsuna smirked at the scathing look that Reborn gave him, Skull snorting into his hand to stifle his laughter.

Tsuna tried to stand after that, though he buckled instantly as pain shot through his body, muscles he never knew he owned burning in protest and he was forced to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from crying out.

Fon had started reaching out to catch him, but Skull easily beat him to being closer because of when he had been introduced to the brunette.

Skull ended up with his arm around Tsuna's lower back, keeping the boy upright as his upper body leant against Skull's own. Tsuna's face was pressed into Skull's shoulder and he was mumbling apologies through a strained voice.

"Perhaps it would be better if you were carried Tsuna?" Fon asked this, since Skull had frozen because he was unsure what to do, arm around Tsuna tense. It wasn't hard to miss the red staining Skull's cheeks and ears.

"After all," Fon carried on talking, "You've been through a lot today, haven't you? So you're probably tired and it's probably best to have you carried than make you walk yourself."

"Carry?" Tsuna's voice was weak and Fon hummed in response.

"A piggyback might be best, huh?" Fon moved to crouch by Tsuna and Skull. "Here, Skull, try and move him."

Within a handful of moments Tsuna was sprawled over Fon's back, arms hanging over his shoulders and legs hitched up around Fon's hips to keep him from falling. Fon had his hands hooked under Tsuna's knees to keep him upright and felt the younger boy settle the side of his head against the back of his shoulder. He wouldn't blame Tsuna if he fell asleep. He probably needed it.

* * *

It was with a sense of dread that Tsuna answered his door that Sunday morning. Once Fon had gotten him back into his dorm, he had prompted him gently awake, had him dress into pajamas and then made him something simple to eat. Tsuna had then abruptly passed out onto his bed, vaguely feeling someone tuck the covers around him and brush his hair away from his forehead. He remembered mumbling something, but couldn't recall his words or if he had gotten an answer.

During the night he had woken up because of what he assumed was a nightmare, throat hoarse and body sticky with sweat and so he'd divested himself of his shirt which he'd been forced to peel away because of how damp it was.

He knew he should have trusted his intuition and ignored the banging on the door that had woken him for the second time, because when he swung it open, Yamamoto and Reborn were stood there, both with suitcases at their feet. Tsuna slouched in the doorway, barefoot and only wearing loose pants. Abruptly, and startling the two, he slammed the door before swinging it back open, sighing and pressing his palm to his face as he realised he was in fact awake and that the two men before him weren't hallucinations.

"What are you here for?" Tsuna finally asked, blocking their entrance and looking up at their faces with his arms folded across himself, cursing their height as he stubbornly stood in the doorway.

"Good morning! We're moving in! Isn't it great Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked cheerfully, taking in the small brunette before him and seemingly uncaring of the weak glare he got in return. Yamamoto continued talking, "We heard about how nobody roomed with you and decided, since we were friends, to move in with you."

"You I suppose I understand being here Yamamoto, but what about Reborn-senpai?" Tsuna didn't even attempt to disguise the contempt in his voice and Yamamoto laughed.

"Dame-Tsuna, didn't you know?" Reborn tilted his fedora up, meeting Tsuna's angry look in his direction with his eyes. "A senior student is supposed to be in every dorm room, so if accidents happen, we can help. Besides, you have eight beds in this place and I doubt you're using them all."

"That's a good point Tsuna," Yamamoto hummed. "I know there're so many beds in a dorm, but normally only one or two are free. There are a whole seven empty beds here."

"Nobody wants to room with me." Tsuna let his arms drop to his sides. "I'm not 'Dame-Tsuna' for a reason, you know. There's a superstition that if you hang around with me, bad things happen." He sighed eventually, giving up with arguing because he was hungry and couldn't be bothered to fight against them. He didn't miss the sharp inhale of breath Reborn gave, or the small hiss that Yamamoto let out as he turned to walk away and further into the room.

"Tsuna," Reborn began. "What was that?"

"What was that?" Tsuna twisted around to face them again, rubbing the heel of his hand into his eye.

In reply, Reborn stepped close and jabbed his finger into Tsuna's stomach gently, dragging it up as he traced the shape of the scar that ended at Tsuna's small shoulder. "That. What is that?"

"It's a scar." Tsuna said it slowly, furrowing his brow. "Have you never seen a scar before?"

"I think it just came as a shock to him Tsuna," Yamamoto offered as he stepped around the two, dragging his suitcase in. "I probably missed it because of how...messy you were yesterday, but that's a pretty big scar, you know? It's not normal."

"I can't really remember how I got it. I think it was an accident or something." Tsuna was watching Reborn's hand out of the corner of his eye, since the taller man had kept his hand pressing gently on his shoulder. "That's what I was told."

Eventually, after the two stayed silent, Tsuna swatted Reborn's hand away and walked further into the rooms. "I suppose I'll show you where you'll be staying if you're moving in. Each room has four beds as you know, but it'd probably be better for you if you stayed in the one away from me."

"And why is that?" Reborn drawled as he went back to grab his case and shut the door, looking up to see Tsuna smiling over his shoulder at him suddenly.

"I have frequent night terrors. If you don't want to be woken up by screaming in the middle of the night, you'd do better to stay in the other room."

"Night terrors?"

"Yeah, I woke up last night because of one. It was pretty vivid..." the vision that had made him awake in fear was rushing back to him, even though he had assumed he'd forgotten. Silently, he stared at his hands, feeling the warmth and slickness of fresh blood that wasn't there and then he abruptly shook his head.

"You can unpack; I suppose I'll make breakfast, unless you've eaten..." he trailed off hopefully but all he got in return was Yamamoto's cheerful, "Breakfast would be great Tsuna! Just say if you need any help, okay?"

Tsuna grunted in return as he made his way to his bedroom first, intent on getting dressed before he did cooking of any sort.

Around ten minutes later, he was in the kitchen, cracking eggs into a bowl as rice steamed in the cooker resting on the counter. Whisking the eggs together Tsuna stared at the cupboard in front of him with a blank expression, thoughts turning over in his head. In less than a week, his life had completely flipped and he wasn't sure whether or not he was comfortable with that. His personal space was being invaded and interacting with other people was a little confusing to him.

Sighing to himself, Tsuna poured some of the egg mixture into a pan that had been warming on the hob before turning the heat up and letting it start to cook. Tsuna rubbed his eye as he turned to the kettle, picking it up and shoving it into the sink and letting it fill with water before he set it back into place, letting it start boiling.

Making sure _just in case_ he peered into the living room and pursed his lips at seeing Yamamoto and Reborn sat comfortable in the chairs the room offered, as if they owned the place. Considering they moved in, they pretty much did partially own the dorm.

Yamamoto caught sight of him watching and lifted his hand in a wave, smiling. "Do you need any help Tsuna?"

"No..." Tsuna retreated back into kitchen to check on the food, leaning his elbows against the counter, chin in his hands as he stared out of the window, watching the clouds drifting across the sky. They were blocking out the sun and Tsuna wondered if it would rain or thunder. He hoped it did; it'd been rather warm lately. For a brief moment his eyes drifted over to the ring on the kitchen counter, that he'd brought through, before he sighed and shoved it into his pocket, turning his attention back to cooking.

Soon enough Tsuna placed two small bowls of rice onto the table, one for Reborn and one for Yamamoto. Two plates, each with an omelette followed shortly after, as well as two cups of tea. Setting down eating utensils, Tsuna backed away again towards the kitchen.

"Aren't you eating?"

"I'll eat in the kitchen, so it doesn't get too crowded in here," Tsuna muttered and Reborn snorted at his words.

"Nonsense. There's plenty of room. Come through here and sit down," Reborn gestured to the space on the couch next to him as Yamamoto nodded enthusiastically to his words. Within moments Tsuna was seated with them with his own breakfast, picking at his rice. He didn't know why he chose to sit with them, but he supposed he was happy for the companionship.

He was bringing his chopsticks to his mouth, bowl of rice held in his other hand, when everything flickered around him, his vision turning fuzzy as if he was looking at a bad quality television. Eyes dropping to his hands, Tsuna gasped and abruptly dropped his bowl and chopsticks onto his lap, staring at his fingers.

"Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, leaning over the table in concern. The brunette was trembling; bottom lip wobbling and terror clear in his eyes. All of a sudden, Tsuna started rubbing his hands fiercely against his shirt, trying to clean them.

"Get it off, get it off!" Tsuna sounded hysterical. The blood on his hands was warm and dribbling off of his fingertips as he scrubbed them uselessly against his sides. He couldn't get it off; all he was doing was smudging it _everywhere_. Tsuna was startled as Reborn's fingers suddenly clasped around his wrists, stopping his frantic movements.

"Tsuna. Tsuna, stop it. What's wrong? Get what off?"

Tsuna's eyes drifted up to Reborn's face for a panicked moment, and, when they slid back over to his hands, the blood was gone.

"I think I need some fresh air," was all Tsuna said, ripping his hands free and staring at the mess of rice on his lap. Thankfully he had eaten most of it, so there wasn't as large of a mess as there could have been. He scraped most of into the bowl with his chopsticks and stood quickly, picking up his plate of half eaten omelette.

Discarding the two in the kitchen, Tsuna shoved his arms into the sleeve of a light jacket and quickly yanked on some shoes. Reborn had gotten to his feet by the time he was back, at his side and holding onto his upper arm.

"Wait a moment, one of us can come with you. Just stay by the door and I'll get my shoes."

"I'd rather go by myself Reborn-senpai." Tsuna shook him off, offering him a weak smile and opening the door, letting it swing shut behind him.

Reborn was just left to stare at the door, lips twisted in a frown as he wondered if the shaken boy was going to be okay. He had the nagging urge to follow him anyway, the plan to always stay by Tsuna resounding in his head but he decided that Tsuna probably needed this. Having his privacy infringed upon all of a sudden could have been too much for him, what, with Yamamoto and Reborn himself barging into his home, the safest place a person could have.

* * *

Tsuna walked across the courtyard, hands shoved into his pockets and his head tilted back so he could keep his eyes on the sky. The smatters of blue here and there between the clouds did wonders for helping his frantically beating heart to settle down. He hated that his hands still felt sticky and so he refused to take them out of his pockets in case he saw blood again.

With his attention elsewhere, it didn't come as a shock when he bumped into someone. He went to hastily apologise when a hand fisted in the collar of his exposed shirt, the grip dragging him off of the floor to his startled squeak. From an upstairs window of the Decimo dorm a curtain was hurriedly jerked back into place.

Tsuna lifted his hands to the arm that was holding him aloft. Digging his fingers in, he looked up and would have cringed if he could move because of the red, _red_, eyes boring into his own. The colour brought back abrupt memories of the blood that had been soaking his hands not even five minutes before and Tsuna forced himself to jerk, kicking and thrashing, slapping the person's arm, white noise filling his ears and drowning out all other sounds.

He only realised that the person holding him up was shouting when their face came close to his again and something collided with his cheek, making it sting.

"W-What?" Tsuna squeaked, trying to make himself smaller in the grip and the man sneered. "I said apologise, you fucking piece of trash!"

Tsuna didn't know what possessed him in that moment to do what he did, but he cleared his throat, brought the phlegm to his mouth and spat it into the face in front of him, feeling a sneer curve his lips as he said, in a snarky tone, "You're just as much in the wrong as I am, so why should I apologise?"

Red eyes widened in response to his words before they narrowed dangerously, a rough voice asking firmly, accompanied by a shake that made Tsuna's teeth click together and rattled his bones. "What's your name?"

"S-Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna felt his confidence spiral away like water down a drain, hunching his shoulders and shrinking in on himself, trying to get his feet on the ground. "Y-You?"

"Xanxus. Remember it trash." Xanxus wiped his cheek free of spit, violently shoving Tsuna away and knocking him onto his backside.

When Tsuna scrambled to his feet, he lifted his eyes to Xanxus and was faced with the barrel of a gun pressing painfully into his forehead, the metal bitingly cold. The blood froze in his veins and fear closed his throat. There was a subdued anger within him but he chose to stay where he was, too afraid of being hurt.

"Now, you piece of shit, are you going to fucking apologise?"

* * *

This story has already broken 50 reviews (!) and that's made me incredibly happy. I'm practically bouncing on the spot!

I've noticed that Katekyo Hitman Reborn has taken up a lot of my life recently. I went bowling with my friend, saw a boxing club (never knew my town had one) and instantly thought of Ryohei. Two minutes later we pass an Army Surplus store and I think Colonello. I couldn't stop myself from giggling. I got some very odd looks during it all.

Now I apologise so much about not including characters that you want, but it's so hard to get it in and I don't want my quality to slip by cramming in character after character and leaving out description but I'm also afraid of disappointing people by not having the characters they wanted in but then I don't want my quality to slip and...well, it turns into quite the vicious circle and I'm left staring at my screen on the verge of tears.

I'm really sorry to the people who wanted characters but haven't gotten to see them. They will _all_ get in at some point though, I will not deny you that, just please try remember that I'm trying to push the story along as well. I'm doing my best.

So, instead of giving false promises and asking for characters you want to see in the next chapter, give me your decision on who you want to see _soon_ as in the next handful of chapters.

Instead of doing it chapter by chapter (I'm confusing myself) I'm just going to have the numbers by the characters represent how popular they are.

**((The dorms in the buildings have two bedrooms, each with four beds, a bathroom and a kitchen attached to a living room. I was going to have Reborn and the six Guardians with Tsuna in his rooms, is this a good idea or do you want other people there?))**

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 3  
- Fon: 3  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 5  
Gokudera Hayato: 2  
Rokudo Mukuro: 6  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 4  
Dino: 0  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 2  
Giotto: 3  
G: 0  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 3  
Daemon: 1


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **This will be my last update for a while, as I'm gone until the 16th of July on a two week holiday at my grandparents. One week is in a caravan, the other week is with limited internet access/no internet access.

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Schwarzien.D'Seventh **(Is using schizophrenia too confusing? Should I change it? And you got that from Tsunayoshi's personality? I was just trying to make him as far away from Tsuna as was possible in the terms of how they acted lmao. To be honest, when the time comes for romance I think it's going to be pretty funny. I mean, Tsuna might want to get together with someone and then ends up punching them in the face because Tsunayoshi doesn't like them. Then, if Tsunayoshi likes someone, it might end up with Tsuna waking up and thinking 'where am I, who am I sitting on and why is my shirt gone?' sort of thing haha. I've noticed I tend to make silly mistakes like that that I'm not particularly proud of because it makes me want to facepalm. About Shimon, I'll try my best to get Enma (and others?) in if possible.

**Shanagi95 **(There is _definitely_ Hibari here, no lies. He's finally arrived lmao, after I dragged it out for so long haha...)

**ShinDragonX **(It was pretty obvious you like Fon from how much you ask for him! I update fast because for some reason I am really into Hitman Reborn and I'm not sure why, I just seem to have latched onto the fandom. Plus, I've finally finished my exams and writing this out is great stress relief lol. I just imagine that the people Tsunayoshi are beating on are my worries haha)

**Xiang Yun **(Yup, it does seem that way. I suppose that was the feel I wanted to bring across, of Tsuna having a bad past. Letting the guardians live with him seems the logical choice and nobody seems to be against it, so I'll probably go along with it.)

**Hitomi65 **(You're welcome!)

**Soul Vrazy **(To be honest, I still have a lot of catching up in the manga! Thanks for telling me though! I'm glad you find this interesting and like my ideas)

**Shugopop **(Yeah. He is pretty awesome, isn't he? Lmao)

**BloodyDarkNaruto** (I'll try and get more Reborn in for you and the others then)

**Wolferunner123 **(They finally _did_ realise it was two people lol. That is, until Reborn started calling Tsunayoshi 'Tsuna', the two have never tried to distinguish between each other, Tsunayoshi because he hasn't said and Tsuna because he doesn't know that Tsunayoshi is actually there. And he's very protective of Tsuna)

**Mangopudding **(Well, because it would be all guys in there, I wasn't comfortable with sticking Chrome in there...I don't know what academies are usually like, but here we don't let girls room in with boys when they're teenagers for obvious reasons that adults are paranoid about haha...I might room her with Kyoko, Haru and Hana etc. I'm glad you liked the fight scene; I was worried I hadn't done something like that any justice...and here's your answer about Xanxus – oh, and Hibari's here! I'm worried I didn't write him correctly in character, so tell me how I did maybe?)

**Taira-keimei **(You're welcome! And, how I and others are thinking, it most likely will be the guardians and Reborn in the dorms)

**Narutopokefan **(Well, I'm glad it isn't a bad idea at any rate. I wasn't sure if anyone was going to room with Tsuna as well, but then I realised it opened potential for interaction between characters lol. It was a giggle that joke, yeah, I couldn't help it lmao. The long awaited Hibari is finally here!)

**Sachiel Angelo** (Tsuna and Tsunayoshi are two personalities in one body. I suppose you could call them two different characters, but you can see them however you want to, to be honest. One person, two person, I'm not sure it matters. And you'll see what happens to Xanxus here lol)

**Guest/Thrilled (?)** (I just choked on my drink when I saw your reply lmao. Don't worry, I'll be there! Do you want me to dress formal, or is this a casual affair and family only? I hope the quality has been kept here. I still ended up staring at this chapter for the better part of an hour. Still felt as if I'd crammed in too many characters but oh well)

**Yuu3 **(In my opinion, about Skull, I think I only made him step forward so he could brag about doing something Reborn couldn't haha...In the retrospect of Tsuna and his ring, Tsunayoshi thought that Tsuna cared about it because it was gone and Tsuna was shocked by its absence. If anything, Tsuna was happy it was gone, but Tsunayoshi picked up on Tsuna's shock at it not being there. He's sad because he wanted to have a normal worry free life, but all of a sudden he's told he has a Sky Flame ring and all these people are pushing into his 'bubble'. He doesn't remember it turning into a Sky ring, and that's why he thinks it's a joke when he first sees it, until Fon tells him otherwise. Mukuro beat Reborn because the concept of two personalities is somewhat a foreign one, having multiple personalities is a very rare condition, though Mukuro is more knowledgeable in that way for whatever reason (he just seems the sort of person to know about mental conditions lmao!). In the way of Gokudera's attitude, the reason why he calls him the 'Tenth' is simple – in my opinion. He'll explain it eventually, but basically, Sky Flames are extremely uncommon. Tsuna isn't the Tenth to _own_ them, but he's the Tenth person that was powerful enough to have both his arms and forehead light up with the Flames, his magick is that strong. Glad your curiosity is rising and here you go! More! ...wow, long reply lol)

**Tujing **(Phew! I was worried about the fighting scene! I thought I wouldn't do well with it or I would rush it, or it wouldn't make sense...so many worries lol. It was almost 2500 words long before Tsunayoshi passed out haha...Well, here's the next chapter anyway! Might be the last for a few weeks though)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

"Speech Marks" Are for when someone is speaking.  
'Quotation Marks' Are for when there is a rare moment someone is thinking.  
_Italics_ When there is nothing around them are for Tsunayoshi's speaking to Tsuna. However, to Tsuna, these sound like completely other voices or his own thoughts. When he doesn't react to them, it's because they're fleeting and he barely notices them.  
_**Bold and Italics**_ Are for when Tsunayoshi's memories of a recent time are seen and experienced briefly by Tsuna, similar to a flashback.

**Chapter Five – Discomforts of Life**

Tsuna only caught the brief flash from the corner of his eye before something whipped by his face and smashed into the gun with a harsh clanging of metal colliding. Tsuna flinched and closed his eyes, before a hand abruptly dropped onto his head and shoved him harshly back a few steps, out of the way, a whisper of magick brushing by his face.

"Herbivore," a voice hissed out and Tsuna withdrew on himself at recognising who it was, before realising the jab hadn't been aimed at him.

"Aiding the weak, Hibari? Since when have you cared?" Xanxus snorted, sneering at Hibari and the disciplinary member shifted his weight.

"Ever since you began disrupting the peace." Hibari moved into a defensive posture, and Tsuna spotted, from behind him, the tonfas covered in purple Flames.

"Disrupting the peace? Don't fuck around." Xanxus shoved his gun back into place rather firmly and angrily. "That midget trash over there walked into me without fucking apologising."

"That weak herbivore couldn't have walked into you unless you weren't paying attention as well." Hibari's weapons blazed brighter. "I will bite you to death."

Xanxus simply turned his back on him and walked away, noticeably stiff as he shouted over his shoulder, "Sawada Tsunayoshi, I'm not finished with you!"

Tsuna flinched as his name was called and he rubbed the side of his head, looking to the side. Moments later he remembered that Hibari was there and stiffened, eyes slowly lifting only to widen as he realised the older teen was staring at him, tonfas still raised. Without warning, the disciplinary member swung one of them towards Tsuna's face and, in reaction; Tsuna quickly lifted an arm, blocking the tonfa with his forearm.

The purple flames flickered and then died and Hibari staring at the tonfa with a blank expression as Tsuna cradled his arm in front of him, gasping in pain because it had _hurt_ and it had hurt a lot.

"You are hurt," Hibari blankly stated once he had safely returned his tonfas within his uniform and Tsuna gave him an incredulous look, blurting the first thing that came to mind without a thought.

"Yeah, hurt by you!"

Hibari's eyes narrowed dangerously and noticeably and Tsuna squealed, pulling his arms up to protect his face and closing as he anticipated being hit. When no strike came, Tsuna dared to open his eyes and had to swallow another shriek at seeing Hibari's face very close to his own, sharp eyes taking in details.

"Rokudo Mukuro told me he was interested in Sawada Tsunayoshi. You only seem like a weak herbivore. Not worthy at all."

Tsuna felt irritation well within him, lip curling in a silent snarl that probably didn't have as much of an effect as he hoped. "Weak? You really think so when you haven't even seen or judged what I could possibly do? All you've done is – " Tsuna lost steam when he realised just _who_ he was talking to and he slapped his hand over his mouth. The look Hibari was currently giving him was downright murderous and Tsuna felt something rise within him in response.

_Who does he think he is?_

Tsuna didn't show any response to his thoughts on his face, just letting his body guide his actions as his fingers slipped into his pocket, curling around the ring as he stroked the smooth metal with his thumb. Slowly, he started backing away, keeping his eyes on Hibari's face, realising he probably did look weak and pathetic at that moment.

With no warning whatsoever, Hibari suddenly had a tonfa back in hand, burning purple and swinging towards Tsuna at speed. Agony shot through his face as the metal made contact with his cheek and Tsuna couldn't help the gasp of pain as he landed hard on his elbow, arm giving out from underneath him and letting his chin collide with the ground.

Tsuna managed to push himself up on his less painful arm, feeling blood dribble down his chin. Eyes on his supporting hand, he twitched at seeing blood that probably wasn't there and just a figment of his imagination dripping down his arm. A foot suddenly nudged into his ribs and rolled him over onto his back, Hibari scowling down at him with a fierce look.

Tsuna let himself cower against the floor and slowly moved his hurt arm to slip his fingers back into his pocket, sliding the ring out. Hibari's brow rose, yet the fierce look remained on his face.

"You think you can fight me?" he drawled. "I'd kill you."

Tsuna tried to ignore him despite the sporadic twitches of fear that he subconsciously gave because of Hibari's aura. The teen was an enigma and he was scary, Tsuna knew that much, even as he was slipping the ring onto his finger, shivering violently.

When the ring was in place, Tsuna felt himself jerk violently, back arching off of the floor as the magick flooded through his system uncontrollably, wildly and without restraint. For a brief moment his hands felt as if they were burning before they were suddenly cool again and Tsuna had the rare honour of seeing Hibari lose his cool composure, eyes widening briefly in shock.

Tsuna let his own eyes move to his hands, daring to let his gaze leave Hibari's face and he felt awe well up inside him at the orange that danced up and down his forearms and hands, deceptively soothing. The pain he'd been originally feeling was gone and in its place was a sense of calm and confidence.

After a moment, Tsuna managed to push himself to his feet without opposition from Hibari and let his eyes rove over his arms, left hand moving to touch his wrist. His intuition flared violently and he jerked his hand up to catch the tonfa as it swung towards him. Tsuna felt a smirk curve his face, smugness and anger rising within him, words leaving his mouth unbidden, "So I'm a weak herbivore, Hibari-senpai? Let me show you what weak _is."_

Tsuna felt glee rush through his body, yanking violently on the tonfa and throwing Hibari over his shoulder and onto his back, keeping the metal weapon tightly in his hand. He flipped the tonfa around so he could hold it by the handle and crouched down to place the tip of it under Hibari's chin. Tsuna could feel his breathing quicken in his chest, heart thumping loudly in his throat, pounding in his head. He had never felt this powerful, this excited before but, underneath, came an intense fear that started in the pit of his stomach because he knew this wasn't like him. He didn't like what had so quickly taken over his personality.

_Don't worry. I'll let you stay, there's no need for me to take over now. This is all you._

Hibari was just staring at him silently and contemplatively, grip on the other tonfa still tight yet he chose to do nothing but lay there and that unnerved Tsuna. Thoughts were twisting around in his head and he wasn't sure what he should do, grip on his own tonfa wavering.

With his hesitation, Hibari wasted no time in getting to his feet with unnatural ease, swinging the tonfa around towards Tsuna who quickly lifted his own to block the attack. He didn't expect to be sucker punched in the stomach and he doubled over in shock before Hibari's weapon smashed into the back of his head and sent him sprawling face first onto the floor with a pounding headache and his vision spotting out black.

Tsuna was only vaguely aware of the tonfa in his grasp being slipped away and his right hand, once the Flames had died, being tenderly handled, fingertips brushing against his knuckles and ring as someone muttered an almost deadpan, "Whao."

* * *

As Tsuna came back to reality, slipping into conscious thought, he was startled to see that he was straddling Hibari, fist poised to punch him in the face, Sky Flames still flickering around his wrist. The disciplinary member looked roughed up, blood caked under his nose and his left eye starting to swell, though he was staring impassively at Tsuna.

Tsuna also noticed that at some point he'd been returned to the dorm room and that the table had been flipped. Yamamoto was slouched in the corner, holding a hand up to his face and – Tsuna squealed as arms wrapped around his waist, lifting him up off of Hibari and off of the floor altogether.

"God, you're skinny." Warm breath tickled Tsuna's ear and he registered the voice as Reborn. Stuttering, he asked, "W-What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about kid," Reborn said gruffly, depositing Tsuna onto the couch before going to look at Hibari, raising an eyebrow at his state. "Just some unruly magick. You've just come into your Flames so I guess you're having trouble with them. That's all."

Tsuna rubbed his head absently, closing his eyes and trying in vain to remember what might have happened. Nope. Nothing came up. Opening his eyes, he looked at his hands, taking note of the split, bleeding knuckles and dried blood under his fingernails. His ring was glittering at him and he stared at it for a moment before someone sat down heavily onto the couch _right next to him_ so close that their thighs were touching_._ Tsuna jumped and tried to lurch away but a tight and bruising grip clamped down on his upper arm and Tsuna followed the hand up to the owner's face, feeling the blood drain from his cheeks as he looked at Hibari.

Hibari kept his hold on Tsuna's arm tight as if he knew the brunette would bolt at even the slightest notice, ignoring Tsuna's discomfort as he leaned in close to stare at him. Eventually he let go and pushed him aside, slouching into the couch.

"So the herbivore isn't as weak as was expected."

Tsuna just stared as Hibari made himself comfortable, examining his nails and giving the room a critical look. Tsuna only looked away when Hibari gave him a sharp look and the brunette instantly jerked to his feet, wanting to be anywhere but near Hibari. Reborn slapping a hand down on his shoulder and shoving him back onto the couch – 'pressing against Hibari's side!' Tsuna tried not to freak out - stopped his attempt at fleeing and, when Tsuna was about to voice his irritation at Reborn's actions he was silenced by the look he was given.

The worry on Reborn's face as he tenderly took one of Tsuna's hands and examined it ever so carefully floored Tsuna. All of a sudden nothing made sense and Tsuna could feel himself sinking in something that, if he didn't drag himself out soon, would trap him forever. Abruptly, stiffening in fear for just a moment, he slapped Reborn's hand away, ignoring the sharp sting of pain that came with the movement, his abused knuckles complaining.

"I-I'll look after myself." Tsuna dropped his eyes to his lap so he wouldn't have to look Reborn in the face and was surprised when his chin was gently caught and tilted up, Reborn gazing at him seriously and with sadness on his face.

"Just let us in Tsuna. We can help you."

Hysteria rose swiftly within Tsuna and he suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe. Blood was rushing through his head and his vision was blurring. He only realised the blurriness was because of tears threatening to fall when Reborn lifted his free hand and pressed his knuckle just below Tsuna's eye to catch one that had fallen, brushing it away.

"No," Tsuna finally managed to get out, voice shaking noticeably. "You can't help. I can't let you in. No." He pushed Reborn away, gently this time and stood, walking towards the bathroom and stepping over the debris in the room as he did so, eyes on his feet. "I appreciate the offer, Reborn-senpai, but I'll be fine by myself."

_We can't let anyone in. We can look after ourselves._

Reborn straightened from his crouch as the bathroom door shut and locked behind Tsuna, running his hand through his hair and knocking his fedora off in a careless movement. His eyes drifted over to Hibari who was watching him with a blank but almost expectant expression, one that said he wouldn't leave until all was explained.

Sighing heavily, Reborn walked into the kitchen to start making himself a coffee and heard Hibari shuffle almost silently in behind him.

This talk would be long, and he didn't know if he had the right to give out the information he was about to tell the mystery that was Hibari Kyoya.

* * *

When Tsuna left the bathroom nearly two hours later, he was squeaky clean and rubbed raw all over, so much that his skin was almost glowing. He was wrapped in a towel that was tightly and securely tucked around his waist and he didn't bother looking over at the rest of the room when he walked towards his bedroom, dirty clothes held tightly under one arm.

Letting out a deep breath through his nose, he very nearly squealed at the sight that greeted him when he walked into his room.

Hibari looked calmly over at him from where he had been removing clothes from a suitcase and hanging them in the wardrobe. Hibari watched him for a moment before turning back to what he had been doing previously.

"I am your new roommate herbivore. Let it be known that even the sound of a petal dropping will wake me. If my sleep is disturbed, I will bite you to death."

Tsuna flinched before nodding vigorously. After a moment, he hesitantly spoke up, gripping onto his towel tightly with his free hand in the paranoid fear it would drop, "I-I have f-frequent nightmares H-Hibari-senpai. I o-often wake up s-screaming."

"Then don't."

The brunette managed to refrain himself from letting his jaw drop and he nodded quickly, dropping his dirty clothes onto his bed and approaching the wardrobe to snatch some clothes out before he all but ran from the room and back towards the bathroom, only relaxing when he was in the still steamy room, bare back pressing against the wood of the door.

Sighing through his nose, Tsuna stepped forward and let his towel drop as he sorted out his clothes. He was halfway to pulling on his boxers when the door slammed open behind him.

"Tsuna, Hibari-senpai s –" Yamamoto began and then abruptly trailed off before backing out of the bathroom and hastily shutting the door.

Tsuna felt his cheeks begin to burn because of the awkward position he'd just been placed into. Being bent at the waist as he pulled on his underwear was not the best of positions he could have been seen in and he was sure Yamamoto didn't take too well to it either, if the clattering from the rest of the dorm was anything to go by.

Quickly shoving the rest of his clothes on and grabbing his ring from where it had been resting on the windowsill while he showered, Tsuna nudged his towel into the corner of the room with his toe and hesitantly reached out towards the handle of the door, staring at the metal for a moment. Sucking in a deep breath he jerkily opened the door and walked out as if nothing had happened.

As soon as he made eye contact with Yamamoto who was sat stiffly and ramrod straight on the couch, Tsuna felt his face flush again and he stammered out what must have been gibberish because even _he_ hadn't understood it.

"It's my fault for not knocking!" Yamamoto laughed nervously in response, speaking rather loudly as he rubbed his head, looking around the room at anywhere but Tsuna, as if he felt the embarrassment the other felt. Considering what he'd seen and the red staining his cheeks, he probably did feel just as uncomfortable.

"N-No, I didn't lock the door. I f-forgot that other people live h-here now..." Tsuna weakly laughed himself and was startled when Yamamoto suddenly turned to face him, meeting his eyes dead on and giving an expression almost akin to a kicked puppy, big brown eyes and all.

"You don't hate us being here, do you Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked seriously, cupping his jaw in his hand so he could hide the frown that had spread across his face. "We only moved here because we thought it would be best for you. We're worried, y'know?"

_**Tsunayoshi let his fist slam into Yamamoto's nose with a solid crunch, his other hand clenched angrily in Yamamoto's shirt. "We don't need you here! You and that other one need to leave!"**_

Tsuna remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't...hate it. I'm not comfortable with it, but..." he wandered over, perching on the couch about two feet away from Yamamoto.

"But...?" Yamamoto prodded hopefully.

"But maybe I need this." Tsuna pursed his lips, twisting his fingers together on his lap. "I'm sixteen and I started at this school when I was ten; not once has anyone bothered to be friends with me, and, admittedly, I never even tried to be friends with anyone either."

Yamamoto remained silent for a moment, before he scooted over and slung his arm around Tsuna's shoulders. "Well, we're here now, right? Even Hibari-senpai decided that he wanted to move in with you, though that could be because he really wants the chance to fight Reborn-senpai..." Yamamoto trailed off into a laugh, ignoring how Tsuna had tensed slightly at his touch.

"Yeah." Tsuna smiled up at Yamamoto, even as his fingers clenched tightly together, his nails digging into his skin where they met. "You're here now."

_Even if they aren't wanted. We don't need them._

Tsuna swallowed his hateful thoughts down with a struggle and let himself slump into Yamamoto's side, ignoring his shocked look at Tsuna's bold movement. Yamamoto smiled after a moment, however, lifting his arm slightly from around Tsuna to ruffle his hair.

"That's right. We're here now."

_They shouldn't be._

Sighing softly, Tsuna closed his eyes, pressing the side of his hand against his eye and rubbing gently. The beginning of a migraine was starting, causing noticeable pain. He put it down to bad sleeping habits and mostly blamed Hibari since he was the one that smacked him in the head with no remorse.

_I gave him what he deserved._

Tsuna shuddered gently as images assaulted his mind and he vaguely felt Yamamoto's arm that had dropped back across his shoulders tighten gently, hand patting his upper arm gently, trying to calm the other down from whatever had seemed to scare him.

"Maybe it's for the best," Tsuna murmured to himself, scratching the side of his head. "That someone else is here."

_It isn't. Soon enough it'll be just us again and I can care for you._

* * *

Tsuna woke up screaming again that night and only realised he was awake and still shrieking when a hand harshly slapped over the lower half of his face to stifle it. Raising his eyes, he couldn't help but give another stifled noise, eyes widening in horror as he scrambled to get away, back of his head slamming against the headboard of the bed in his terror.

This was a nightmare. It had to be. What else would explain the face of a _dead man_ inches from his own, gaping wound in his neck looking similar to a grotesque smile because of how it stretched from one side to the other.

Tsuna almost threw up when he realised the hand still clamped around his mouth was covered in congealed blood, patches of it still warm and sticky.

_**Tsunayoshi pressed his fingers firmly against the neck of the unconscious man on the bed in front of him as he felt the last of Tsuna's presence fade away to just a small flicker. Gently, he ran his fingernail against the skin of the prone body, unable to help the snickers that left him as the steady heartbeat in the neck started fluttering, a sign of fear.**_

_**Concentrating his magick to a pinpoint at his fingertip, he suddenly dug his finger into the man's neck, sliding through the skin like it was warm butter, before he dragged his hand across, splitting the man's throat wide open. **_

_**Pulling his hand back, Tsunayoshi couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he retreated to let Tsuna back in control. The threat was gone and he was satisfied.**_

Still scrambling to get away, Tsuna was startled as the room suddenly burst into light, the switch for the bedside lamp having been flicked. Tsuna fell limp as soon as he realised that it was Hibari who had the bruising grip on his lower face and couldn't help the relieved sobs that shook his body gently.

Lifting his hands, Tsuna gripped onto Hibari's arm, body still trembling with his sobs. As the hand slowly loosened from around his mouth, Tsuna started mumbling incoherently, "Thank god it was you Hibari-senpai, thank god; thank god it was you."

"You are lucky I was already awake, herbivore," Hibari told him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Its six thirty," was added offhandedly before Hibari swung his hand back around to clamp onto Tsuna's face once more. "Make that much noise again and I'll bite you to death."

Tsuna could only weakly nod before Hibari let go with a shove that had the brunette colliding with the headboard and wincing as the elder stalked, _stalked,_ across the room to his bed which was already perfectly made.

Only when Hibari left the room did Tsuna relax again, climbing out of the bed and grimacing at the soreness of his throat. He wondered how long he'd been screaming for. Shaking his head, he turned back to his bed and twitched at the blood soaking the sheets. Vehemently telling himself that it wasn't real, he made the bed with shaking hands before wandering towards the wardrobe on trembling legs.

Tsuna felt the control he had over his life spiralling away faster than he could stop it. It wasn't a comforting feeling. Shaking his head to dispel his misery, Tsuna quickly divested himself of his pajamas and tugged on his school uniform.

Five minutes later, he was wandering sleepily into the living room, fumbling with the tie around his neck and furrowing his brow as he realised how awkward it was to tie when he was sleepy and it was early in the morning. Giving into laziness, he gestured with his right hand and the tie neatly wrapped itself around his collar. Even his shirt straightened itself, soon becoming free of wrinkles and tucking itself in.

Satisfied with his appearance, Tsuna made his way into the kitchen with significant effort on his part to ignore Hibari who was perched on the couch, a cup of tea on the table in front of him. After a moment of pottering around in the kitchen, Tsuna dared to lean his head out and ask, in a trembling voice, "D-Do you want s-some breakfast Hibari-senpai?"

Hibari regarded him coolly with sharp eyes before inclining his head in what Tsuna assumed was a nod, prompting the brunette to dive back into the kitchen and start preparing food with faintly trembling hands.

Tsuna couldn't explain it, but with his hand wrapped around the knife, he had vivid images in his head of walking into the living room and stabbing Hibari, over and over, relentlessly, until the older teen stopped moving a – Tsuna shook his head to dispel the thoughts and abruptly, though accidentally, dug the knife into the side of his left index finger.

Squealing in pain, Tsuna wasted no time in shoving his finger under the tap, letting the water run over the stinging wound until his magick kicked in and the cut started sealing itself without even a scar to show for its earlier presence.

When he turned back to the board and knife, he picked it up and focused more attention to what he was doing rather than letting his thoughts wander again. It obviously wouldn't bode well for his health. Shaking his head, he started cutting again, though he made sure to remain at a slow pace as to not have another accident.

By the time he had finished making the miso soup and cooking the rice, Reborn was leaning in the kitchen doorway, watching Tsuna with sleep mussed hair. Staying silent for a moment, Reborn did nothing but watch before he walked in towards the coffee machine and flicked the switch to it, blearily going about the motions of making the hot drink. He didn't expect his hand to be swatted by a spoon courtesy of Tsuna, who stared at him, lips twisted in a frown.

"I'll sort everything out, Reborn-senpai. You look as if you're about to collapse on your feet. Black coffee, right? No sugar or milk."

"That's right." Reborn nodded, but didn't leave the kitchen, leaning his hip against the counter. "Are you okay?"

Tsuna abruptly turned back to serving the food into dishes, not liking how sharp the deceptively tired eyes seemed to be. When he didn't answer, Reborn kept on speaking, keeping his tone airy and light.

"Hibari-san told me how you woke up screaming, and th –"

"Is Yamamoto-san awake, Reborn-senpai?" Tsuna cut him off. "If he isn't, could you wake him up and tell him breakfast will be ready in a few moments?"

"Yamamoto-san is already awake; he's showering at the moment. Tsuna, about what Hibari-san said –"

Tsuna cut him off again, pressing his hand against his face, free hand gripping onto the counter as he muttered, "I told you Reborn-senpai, when you arrived yesterday, that I frequently wake with night terrors. I simply had a bad night last night. Please don't go into it any further."

Reborn watched him before leaning over to squeeze Tsuna's shoulder comfortingly as he murmured, "If you ever need to talk, you know we're here for you."

_I wish you weren't._

Tsuna took in a deep steadying breath and then smiled at Reborn. "I know you are. Yamamoto-san said the same thing yesterday. I know you're here. P-Perhaps if it gets to the point where I need to talk to somebody, I will seek you out."

Reborn nodded, keeping his hand on Tsuna's shoulder for a brief moment longer before he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. By the time that Tsuna came through with a tray of several bowls, Yamamoto was seated as well, a towel on his head as he fiddled with his tie.

Nervously, Tsuna placed the miso soup and steamed rice by Hibari's cup before doing the same for Reborn, giving him the cup of coffee while he was at it. Placing Yamamoto's bowls in front of him, Tsuna smiled apologetically and said, "I didn't know what you wanted to drink. I was going to make myself some tea, would you like some as well?" As he asked, he placed spoons and chopsticks by the bowls.

"That's fine!" Yamamoto grinned as he ruffled his hair violently with the towel after giving up with his tie. "Thanks for breakfast Tsuna!"

Tsuna smiled at him. "No worries."

"Mm, thanks." Reborn muttered around a mouthful of rice while Hibari remained silent and indifferent, eating his rice quickly and with purpose. Tsuna pursed his lips at Hibari's rudeness but ignored it for the most part, knowing that the other was scary when provoked.

_He isn't that scary. We could show him his place._

Tsuna wrinkled his nose at that thought, shaking his head and hoisting himself to sit on the kitchen counter as he allowed the kettle to boil, holding his bowl of rice and chopsticks in his hands, eating from it slowly. When the kettle was done, Tsuna made a pot of tea and carried it, along with a cup, into the living room.

Setting the cup in front of Yamamoto, Tsuna carefully poured him tea before glancing at Hibari. He got a nod of the head in return and Tsuna poured Hibari a cup as well before retreating into the kitchen. Unlike the day before, Reborn didn't force him into eating with the others and Tsuna was grateful for that.

* * *

On the walk to the academy, Tsuna found that he couldn't get either Reborn or Yamamoto to leave his sides. Each flanked him, tall imposing figures on either side. Yamamoto even had his hand on his shoulder, as if to keep him from running away.

Thankfully, Hibari had left before them and gone ahead. Tsuna might have passed out if he had been forced to endure Hibari following from behind or walking in front of him and demanding he keep up in a callous tone. Yes, Tsuna was thankful indeed that Hibari hadn't deemed it necessary to stay behind and walk with 'herbivores'.

Some part of Tsuna, deep inside, wanted Hibari to be there, if only to scare off the people who were starting at him loathingly because he was walking with the ever so popular 'Yamamoto-san' and admired 'Reborn-senpai' as if they were friends.

Which, Tsuna mused; they were, in a way. They weren't by any means _close_ friends, but if he had to endure them for what would probably be the rest of his high school life, then he could probably force himself to get along with them. Eventually.

_You don't need to bother with that. They'll be gone soon, no doubt._

Tsuna felt his mouth tug down in a grimace as he walked towards his homeroom. That was true. They would probably leave him when the time came and that caused a throbbing in his chest. That was both a painful and sobering thought. He couldn't get comfortable with them, couldn't afford to. The pain would be too much when they left. Not if, but when.

"I'll see you in a few hours," Reborn said as they approached Tsuna's and Yamamoto's classroom. "Either in a lesson or at lunch." He reached over to squeeze Tsuna's shoulder gently before walking down the corridor, casually tossing a, "See you later, Dame-Tsuna," over his shoulder.

Tsuna let Yamamoto guide him to his seat, sitting down heavily when the backs of his knees encountered the chair. Without a moment's hesitation, Tsuna let his arms fold onto the desk before resting his head on his arms, closing his eyes to relax.

He felt Yamamoto rubbing his back gently for a handful of seconds, before the other turned around and started talking animatedly to others in the classroom.

Tsuna felt himself start to drift off into sleep when the door promptly slammed open and he hurriedly jerked his head up, everything going blurry for a moment. He was horrified to see Xanxus stood in the doorway with a long haired boy – or girl? – stood next to him, both glaring into the room. It had gone silent incredibly silent.

"Him." Xanxus pointed at Tsuna, making the motion look menacing. "That trash. That's the one."

The boy - girl? - next to him looked over at Xanxus and, when he spoke, Tsuna realised that it was a guy.

"Voi! What do you want with a weakling like that?"

"Shut up and just fucking get him already Squalo!"

The long haired teen flipped his hair angrily and then stormed into the classroom, shoving people aside before he stopped next to Tsuna and promptly grabbed his arm, tearing him out of his seat and dragging him towards the door, causing the brunette to stumble with the suddenness.

"T-Tsuna?" Yamamoto called, jogging after him, before Squalo turned and punched him in what must have been the solar plexus as Yamamoto doubled over gasping for breath because he had been winded.

Rage spiked in Tsuna and he gripped onto the wrist of the hand dragging him. "H-Hey, what is this all about?" he dug his heels in, trying not to be dragged though, with his small stature, it was no trouble for Squalo. "Yamamoto-san did nothing wrong!"

"Voi?" Squalo bared his teeth and Tsuna cringed in on himself as he was dragged out into the corridor, smartly deciding not to reply to that, just letting himself get tugged along. He assumed whatever happened would be similar to bullying. He was used to that.

Relenting, he started to walk along with the tug and felt Squalo's hand loosen before sliding down to hold around his wrist instead as he pulled him along, as it gave him better leverage. Squalo was following Xanxus who was striding down the corridor, students practically diving out of his way.

"Where is it you're t-taking me?" Tsuna finally asked though he got no more as a grunt in answer and grimaced to himself, watching his feet as he stumbled along. With his eyes on the floor, he didn't expect it when Squalo stopped and ended up bumping into Squalo's back. Almost immediately, he was jerked around and shoved into a room, almost falling over but managing to keep his balance.

Looking around the room, he hugged himself, hands clamped tightly down on his elbows as his eyes darted from face to face. Aside from one other, he, Xanxus and Squalo were the only ones in the room.

Walking over towards a chair that he promptly sat on, Xanxus asked loudly, "Where're the others?"

"In lessons, Xanxus," the hooded spoke up. He had been counting out bills onto the table he had been sat at, though now he was staring at Tsuna, what was visible of his mouth curving downwards slightly. "Why is he here?"

Xanxus turned his attention to Tsuna at that, sneering. "You owe me a fucking apology."

"A-Apology?" Tsuna stuttered, trying his best to remember what he had to apologise for. Immediately, he paled and had to ask softly, "Y-Yesterday?"

"Yes for yesterday you damn trash!" Xanxus kicked his feet up. "So fucking apologise already!"

Tsuna swallowed a squeal and bowed his head, "I apologise f-for b-bumping into you y-yesterday!"

Xanxus eyed him and Tsuna vehemently hoped that that was all he had to do and then he could leave and get away from this ominous place. Xanxus was ranking high on the list of people who scared him, right next to Hibari.

He was broken out of his mental pleading when there was a click, a loud 'bang!' and then pain flared up in his shoulder. Gasping out, he lifted his hand to where it hurt the most, eyes darting to Xanxus who was pointing the gun in his direction.

Despite the fact he had no doubt been _shot_ there was no blood. Just pain and a burning that started to spread down his arm, causing it to tingle and stiffen, making Tsuna dig his fingers into his shoulder in an attempt to alleviate how much it hurt. All he could do was gape at Xanxus, wondering what on earth he had done to have the older teen pull a gun on him.

At first he was confused and in pain. That lasted all of about thirty seconds and then all of sudden he was pissed, dropping his hand away from his shoulder and straightening up, giving a silent snarl at Xanxus. There was a roaring in his ears and he saw Xanxus' mouth move, though heard no sound. Tasting blood in his mouth, he realised he'd bitten his tongue.

His vision had started swimming, blurring at the edges and somehow, he knew that was both right and terribly wrong. That when his vision cleared the scene would be different, he wouldn't be facing Xanxus with a shoulder feeling like it was on fire, but he would be beating the ever hating _shit_ out of the black haired male and hoping that he could cause one more scar on that twisted face.

As his hands clenched, fingers digging into his palms he briefly witnessed the hooded one from before stand and walk towards the edge of the room, respect humming through him at the other's smartness for getting out of the way of what would be a fight. He could feel something start to twist and burn in his stomach, like the beginnings of a fire.

The roaring was getting louder. It was all he could hear, there was no other sound. The haziness of his vision abruptly took a turn for the worse as the edges of it blurred to an almost orange colour. The ember that had been steadily burning away inside of him flared up with a suddenness that almost took Tsuna by surprise.

That was when the brunette fainted, body crumpling towards the floor.

* * *

If you didn't see it at the beginning, maybe you'll see it now. I leave on the **1****st**of July. Until the **9****th** I will be in a caravan with no internet access. From the **9****th** to the **16****th** I'll be at my grandparents' house. They don't like turning on the Wifi unless it's absolutely necessary. This means I most likely won't be able to update for those two weeks unless I'm allowed on the internet lol.

However, I suppose that means you can expect an update literally as soon as I'm back – plenty of time to type out a chapter or two, depending. I hope you have the patience to wait until then. I suppose I've left a horrible cliffhanger and a long time to wait for an answer lmao, I'm sorry.

Okay, some character requests met in this one. Only some. I'm displeased with myself. I'd write more, a _lot _ more and have chapters pushing twice as much as they are now, but I don't want to do that because it means shoving a lot of stuff in and, in the end, it'll probably be extremely confusing as it hops from one character, then to the next, back to the first and then to the third lmao...so sorry, I hope you can bear with me. (I'm upset at myself because I got _Squalo_ in when only _one _person asked for him and I can't get in a more voted for character like Alaude or Gokudera...)

In other news _I finally got Hibari in this oh my gosh._ It took far too long but he's _there_, scroll up if you don't believe me but he is _there_ and he is a _pain_ to write, honestly.

In the way of Guardians living with Tsuna, seems like some agree and nobody is really protesting, so that'll go ahead!

That's all I really have to say for this chapter though. Hope you've enjoyed it, and I'll see you all in two weeks! (Maybe less if I'm lucky!)

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 5  
- Fon: 4  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 7  
Gokudera Hayato: 2  
Rokudo Mukuro: 6  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 6  
Dino: 0  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 3  
- Squalo: 1  
Giotto: 3  
G: 0  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 3  
Daemon: 1  
Enma: 1 (One off appearance, or permanent option?)


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**BloodyDarkNaruto **(You're welcome! Not _that_ much for Reborn – I apologise – but like I've mentioned before, if they aren't in the next chapter, they'll be in the next few chapters or so)

**StarBerrygirl **(Thanks! And I'll get Reborn in as soon as possible)

**Shanagi95 **(There was no chance to get him in anywhere here. Sorry, but in the next one I'm sure he'll show up)

**Soul Vrazy **(Hope you didn't have to wait long! Here's the update!)

**Chebelskiee **(Dino is someone there definitely needs to be there at some point! I'll have to get him in, but I can't promise it'll be all that great, I'm not sure humour is my forte haha...)

**ShimizuMiyuki **(I had to look up Yandere, found the definition and I'll have to admit that Tsunayoshi does seem to fit into that category! Updated as quick as I could considering circumstances)

**XxKatelynnexX **(Tsuna is most likely OOC but then again this is AU and his life was different according to the manga and anime. I'm glad you like how I've made him out to be though! I'm having a good holiday so far, thanks!)

**ShinDragonX **(I'm sorry it sucks for you, haha, but at least I managed to get an update sooner than I estimated, right? Here's the next chapter and, between you and me, I'm weird too lmao. And these mini chats are pretty awesome in my opinion!)

**MilkTeaLord **(I don't think they so much interact – Tsuna isn't aware of Tsunayoshi's existence – but he hears Tsunayoshi's opinions/thoughts and thinks of them as his own by default, because why else would there be a voice in your head?)

**One of the Colorless **(You aren't the first to approach me about this. I understand what the difference between Schizophrenia and MPD/DID is but a lot of the people I know don't know the difference. I just – wrongly – assumed many people got the terms mixed up and so I named it Schizophrenia so there is better understanding for others)

**Taira-keimei **(I noticed that was well haha! I thought it would be someone different, such as Mukuro or Hibari – lots of people seem to like those two – but instead Yamamoto is getting more votes lol. Thank you, and I hope you have/had fun on your vacation also!)

**Schwarzien.D'Seventh **(Okay, about your confusion: Hibari knocked Tsuna out in the courtyard and Tsuna was taken inside, still unconscious. I'm gonna say Reborn took him inside, which prompted Hibari to follow – he knows Reborn is strong, wants a fight etc. Tsunayoshi then wakes up and he isn't pleased that Hibari's nearby, but Reborn and Yamamoto get in the way, hence the reason why the room was messed up. Tsunayoshi suddenly loses control while he's in the middle of attacking Hibari and lo and behold Tsuna's suddenly sat on him with no recollection to how he got back to the dorm lmao. Does that make sense? Hibari was only getting close to Tsuna because he was interested in Tsunayoshi, to see if he would appear again and attack/threaten Hibari. Tsunayoshi is ever so protective of Tsuna lmao – possessive and jealous definitely. I'll try and get Mukuro in after this chapter, because I couldn't fit him in. Your rambling is fun and awesome x3. Gives me a chance to reply and see your thoughts about this! Here's my brief comeback!)

**Tujing **(That would be pretty funny if it happened haha. Here's the next chapter!)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Sorry, but this chapter is about the same as the rest of them at just over 6000 words – about 6500 this time. You agree with Tsunayoshi? Haha, I think that's a first, but he believes that he has the best intentions for Tsuna, so you can't blame him. Gokudera wasn't here, but I'll be able to get him in the next one, I'm somewhat sure...)

**The Kyuubi Maiden **(I personally think he – Tsuna – is being nicer to Reborn because he's accepted the inevitability that he's going to be stuck with him, no matter what he does or tries! Killerness might not be a word, but if it was I'm sure it would match Tsunayoshi haha...I'm not back from my holiday, but I've gotten internet access, so here's an update!)

**Mangopudding **(I couldn't get Hibari in this one, apologies, but everyone else appears! I'm sorry about the cruelty of my cliffhanger, but at least I have an update that's earlier than predicted for you! Tsunayoshi doesn't like anyone but Tsuna, but it doesn't stop him having a – grudging – respect for others!)

**Killerninjaz **(Haha, it surely would be interesting if Tsuna started to fight his own battles. I wonder where that would leave Tsunayoshi...Thanks, and I hope you have a good holiday also!)

**Yuu3 **(Glad I could make it clear for you! And Mukuro is totally that sort of person, I don't know why but he comes across that way to me. I realise I've also made him a little creepy and a bit of a closet sort of pervert, as well as being knowledgeable about mind things haha...Here's more!)

**xxxxKimi-chan **(I had a bit of a freak out when reading your review because of the picture you have next to your name of Reborn and Tsuna(?) lmao. I almost squealed. Anyway, I'm glad you love this story and that it thrills you to read it! Tsunayoshi always starts off with Tsuna's health in mind but then his emotions get the better of him, I think. Seems people want Enma so I'll bring him in but about Byakuran I was undecided about him. I wasn't sure if he was to be someone that Tsuna/Tsunayoshi could be friends – or more – with, or if he should be someone that's hated. I'll add him to the list, but I suppose I'll give the option of him being an 'Interest' or an 'Antagonist'. Thank you and here's an update!)

**ShinobiTwin05** (Mukuro wasn't here this time, I'm sorry, but I'm sure I'll get him in the next! Thanks for reading!)

**Neolazer **(Don't worry, I sometimes forget that this is a magic AU haha...Hope you didn't have to wait long and please, stop hitting yourself!)

**Guest **(I'll get Mukuro in when I can. I'm also interested in what I can come up with in regards to Tsuna/Tsunayoshi's interaction with Mukuro. Tsuna is somewhat wary of Mukuro while Tsunayoshi is interested in Mukuro for reasons of his own – most probably because Mukuro is one of the only people who hasn't butted into his business lol)

**Guest/Immensely Pleased **(Now, now, leave that to the honeymoon! I'll take note of that and show up in what I'm most comfortable with then! Will we be exchanging rings on the day? Marriage plans aside, don't worry, you didn't give me an impression of any sorts, I suppose I just ramble and panic to myself in the notes and replies I give – a habit, I must admit – and I was just hoping that I keep chapters adequate. I just fit in everyone I can without going overboard, because I struggle to keep track of who is where haha...No worries for the late review, social lives catch up with the best of us!)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Chapter Six – Lost and Found**

Luce watched, with the others seated around the table, as Reborn paced. This was a shock to the majority of them, as nothing usually riled the stoic Sun Flame user. He had paced, once or twice before and, when discovered why, it was for really good reasons. This time, they didn't know what was wrong.

Eventually, Fon asked, in a soft voice as he clasped his hands together and set them on the table, "Is this about Tsuna, Reborn?"

Curious eyes observed as Reborn stiffened and came to a stop, turning to look at Fon with an unreadable expression as he lifted a hand to rub against his jaw. Sighing exasperatedly, Reborn finally sat down in his seat and adopted a relaxed pose, one leg over the other.

"It is." Reborn ignored the brows that lifted to his confession, but didn't elaborate. Nobody asked for anything further than that, and that was fine by Reborn. As the room started descending once more into silence, there was a quiet, tinny sounding 'beep' and heads turned towards Verde.

Verde held his phone up in both explanation and apology. "It's Mammon." A grim smile suddenly pulled the corners of his mouth taut. "About Sawada Tsunayoshi. Seems everyone is interested in him these days."

"What does it say?" Luce dove in with the question before anyone else could and Verde let an eyebrow quirk as he scanned the message he had received, ignoring the impatience of the people he was seated with.

"Seems Xanxus of the Varia group has a hold of him. The boy was shot and passed out. Why he thinks I need to know this, I don't know. Of how it benefits me, I..." Verde trailed off as his phone buzzed with another message and, when he opened this one, a contemplative expression stole across his face, hand lifting to rest absently against his face as he held his phone with his other hand.

"What does that one say, kora?" Colonello leaned forward on his elbows on the table, almost bouncing in his seat with how impatient he was, his tone almost sharp. Nobody berated him as they too were interested, all eyes focused on Verde for his answer.

"Not even a minute after Sawada-san passed out he was awake again, presenting his Sky Flames to Xanxus. Mammon says he's currently in the middle of attacking the man. The other Varia member, Squalo, is already unconscious."

Reborn shoved out of his seat before Verde had even finished speaking, walking towards the door. What was surprising to the rest of the group was the fact that even Fon gracefully got to his feet and followed.

Skull had stiffened in his seat, sitting further upright, but no one paid him any mind.

* * *

"Is something wrong, Giotto?" Alaude asked as he walked alongside his classmate down the hallways. "You've seem distracted of late, ever since that _mess_ you caused within the dorm building."

"I apologised for that and even cleared the destruction up. By myself, might I add," Giotto instantly retorted, folding his arms and holding his elbows. "Now that you mention it, something has been on my mind. I suppose I'm just worried about Tsuna." He chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Even with others around him, I'm not sure he's entirely safe from _himself_ and that's something I can't get out of my mind."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Alaude mused. "Even Kyoya has been distracted by him. Forced his way into the same room as Sawada-san and wouldn't take any refusal whatsoever. What is it that's so interesting about him, Giotto?"

"If I could tell you I would Alaude, but I'm not it's within my place to tell." Giotto ruffled his hair angrily. "Tsuna is just...there's something about it that makes you feel the need to protect him, like he's some sort of injured fluffy little animal that's looking at you with big brown eyes." Giotto mimed choking the air to try and alleviate his irritation, as if all his problems were a physical manifestation he could strangle. "I don't want anything to hurt him, and I definitely don't want him to lose trust in me."

"This seems to be troubling you quite a lot." Alaude glanced at his companion though, before he could get an answer, someone shouted out, "Giotto-senpai!"

Giotto twisted, faintly recognising the voice and smiled slightly. "Yamamoto-san, right? What's wrong? Is Tsuna with you?"

"It's about Tsuna!" Yamamoto came to a stop where he had been running towards them, catching his breath and wrapping his arm protectively across his middle where it still ached as he gasped.

"Tsuna?" Giotto questioned softly, and Yamamoto nodded, wiping his brow.

"You were the first I could find, I don't know where Reborn-senpai is. Some upperclassmen came into our homeroom and took Tsuna. I think I heard one of them call the other Squalo, or something like that."

Giotto stiffened, pursing his lips. "Squalo, was he tall with long hair? Sharp looking face?"

Yamamoto nodded again, exhaling deeply as he winced gently, arm across his stomach tensing briefly. "That's the one. Punched me in the gut and dragged Tsuna off. There was another person in the doorway, black hair and scars on his face."

Giotto felt himself pale, rubbing a hand nervously through his hair before he gestured to Yamamoto to follow as he walked with a brisk pace down the hallway. Alaude had no trouble keeping up either and, as he reached Giotto's side again, he murmured, "Why do I have the feeling that another mess is going to be made Giotto?"

He got a strained laugh in return and, at hearing the tenseness of that noise, Alaude felt himself frown just slightly at Giotto, realising the severity of the situation since the other blonde couldn't muster up even a sincere laugh. The junior following them was known as being almost impossibly cheery, but now had his lips twisted in a grimace.

It was with those signs that Alaude knew this was a situation more serious than most.

* * *

Xanxus had snorted as soon as Tsuna had passed out, slouching in his seat and tossing a look towards Squalo. "Get that trash out of here. He's probably learned his fucking lesson."

"Voi? Why me?"

"Because I said so, trash!" Xanxus roared back but, before Squalo could respond, the brunette on the floor started giggling. He was face down on the floor, so the giggles started off small and quiet, though, soon enough, they became loud and slightly hysterical, until he was all but guffawing, body shaking violently with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Squalo asked sharply and, since he was closest to the boy, nudged his side with the toe of his boot. Tsunayoshi snapped his hand out and grabbed Squalo's ankle, dragging him down with a show of strength and making the elder squawk with indignation and fury.

Tsunayoshi promptly sat himself up, hands delving into his pockets before he tugged out the ring. He wondered why Tsuna kept it there instead of on his finger, but didn't judge. Tsuna could do what he liked, so long as he stayed safe, comfortable and happy. Tsunayoshi remembered the recommendation Fon gave that Tsuna would be safer if the ring was hidden and, as he briefly thought about it, grudgingly agreed with the other's decision.

As he slipped the ring on, he deftly dodged the angry swing of the downed male next to him and wasted no time in driving his elbow into the other's throat, making Squalo squeeze out an unattractive noise as he all but choked. He was lucky Tsunayoshi was feeling nice and hadn't crushed his windpipe. As it was, it knocked Squalo unconscious with the force.

Tsunayoshi pushed to his feet easily, clapping his hands together and rubbing them gently, smiling cheerfully at Xanxus. The cheeriness didn't reach his eyes, which were as cold as ice and hard like flint.

"Xanxus." Tsunayoshi made it a point to step on Squalo as he walked towards the sat down person across the room. "Is that your name? I think you owe Tsuna an apology. Two apologies, actually. One for yesterday and one for the fact that you _just fucking shot him!"_

Xanxus wasted no time in whipping up his gun and firing off two shots in quick succession, cockiness keeping him sat. Tsunayoshi lifted the hand with his ring lazily and, as the orange gem set in the band flared, he jerked his arm to the side, throwing the shots to the side. He didn't even care that he'd misjudged the power in the movement and had ended up slinging the furniture in that half of the room against the wall.

Magick still buzzing in his veins, Tsunayoshi promptly ignited his Flames without a second thought and launched himself at Xanxus. He collided with the senior, who was still sat in the chair having underestimated Tsunayoshi, and the two of them ended up sprawled over the floor, the seat being knocked over.

Sat on Xanxus' hips, Tsunayoshi wasted no time in pressing his palm against the other's face and letting his Flames burn brighter and hotter. He was about to speak in incantation, when he felt the barrel of the gun press against his stomach and, before he could dodge, Xanxus pulled the trigger, managing to get in several successive shots before Tsunayoshi rolled off, arm curled protectively around his middle as he hacked out a mouthful of blood into his free hand.

Staring at the red staining his palm, Tsunayoshi felt what little control he had crumble apart and, before Xanxus had any idea of what was going to happen, the brunette was behind him, foot slamming into the base of his skull harshly.

Xanxus, who had just gotten to his feet, staggered forward and dropped his gun as stars filled his vision briefly. Before he had recovered, Tsunayoshi shouted out something he couldn't quite focus on and pain exploded in his side. Moving his hand to rest against his ribs, Xanxus was vaguely surprised to feel blood against his palm.

Tsunayoshi didn't even give him the chance to get over the shock before he appeared in front of the taller teen, reached up wrap his hand tightly around the back of Xanxus' neck and dragged him down with superior strength to smash his face into Tsunayoshi's knee.

As his nose crunched, Xanxus briefly noted the fact that Tsunayoshi had enough control to not only hone his power to drag him down, but also burn the back of his neck while he was at it. The fact he couldn't bring himself to fault the tiny teen showed just how much pain was clouding his judgement and thoughts.

Tsunayoshi tightened his hand on the back of Xanxus' neck and jerked his head back. The Varia leader had been forced to his knees at this point, and Tsunayoshi lifted one foot to press against his thigh, half standing on him as he leaned in close to his face, eyes burning with fury and slightly bloody teeth bared in outrage.

"You are going to fucking apologise right this minute," Tsunayoshi hissed, spitting blood out again, but this time to the side. His free hand moved so his index and middle fingers were pressed to Xanxus' chest, Flames burning bright enough to singe the shirt the other was wearing.

Leaning in closer, their foreheads almost touching, Tsunayoshi sneered. "I'm going to wait for about twenty seconds. If you haven't apologised by then, for every five seconds you haven't said you're goddamn sorry, I'll break a rib." He pressed his fingers harder against Xanxus' front, magick spiking in his fingertips and dancing across the elder's skin, causing him to wince.

"Clocks ticking, _Xanxus."_

Xanxus stared up at Tsunayoshi in almost befuddlement through the pain before he silently snarled and cocked a second gun, pressing it underneath Tsunayoshi's chin, magick making the barrel of it burn. Tsunayoshi had tensed; hand on Xanxus' neck faltering and fingers by his chest no longer pressing as hard.

Tsunayoshi grit his teeth, unsure if he was fast enough to disarm the other before he was shot. In such a vulnerable place at point blank range, he could suffer permanent damage, not only to himself, but definitely to Tsuna. The worst scenario was that this could be fatal if Xanxus pulled the trigger.

As if sensing Tsunayoshi's inner turmoil and conflict, Xanxus let a smirk curve his lips, ignoring the blood that dribbled down from his nose as a result of his collision with the brunette's knee. "Not so cocky now, are you, trash?"

He was startled when Tsunayoshi gave him an honest to god _hiss_ like some irate cat, eyes widening in anger as he bared his teeth in an angry snarl. His fingers had started digging in against Xanxus' chest again and Xanxus nudged the gun against Tsunayoshi's chin condescendingly.

Tsunayoshi smiled all of a sudden and Xanxus narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to warn the brat of exactly what he would get if he tried something – and then was promptly headbutted. _Hard._

While Xanxus was dazed, Tsunayoshi swiped the gun out of his hand and tossed it carelessly behind him, smug smile gracing his lips almost attractively - Xanxus made sure to throw that thought out as quickly as it had come along – and he tapped Xanxus' forehead.

"Don't underestimate me. Are you going to apologise to Tsuna? That is, after all, the only thing I wanted. We didn't need to get into this little argument, did we?" Tsunayoshi raked his short nails against the scars on Xanxus' face and, halfway down his cheek, ignited his fingertips with Flames.

The sadistic grin that crossed his face had everything to do with the howl of pain that Xanxus gave, the first noise he had given since his rough treatment. Tsunayoshi made a gleeful mental note that the scars were sensitive and stowed it away for later use. Oh yes, he definitely would be coming back to this one again, if just to teach him his place. Killing him too soon or killing him at all would ruin hours of fun, in Tsunayoshi's opinion.

It was while distracted that he missed the brush of Mist Flame magick until it was too late. Hand gripped tightly at his wrists, a body pressed against his back and, even as he shrieked his annoyance, he was wrenched off of Xanxus and off of the floor, wriggling violently against his captor.

"Be careful there, prefect." Tsunayoshi recognised the voice from earlier, hearing the hooded person through Tsuna not even half an hour before.

"You should listen to Mammon, Alaude-san. Tsuna is – no, _Tsunayoshi_ – is very violent and unpredictable."

Tsunayoshi felt his lip curl. That was Reborn speaking. Shaking one more time against the hold, Tsunayoshi took in a deep breath and then let his Sky Flames engulf his arms. The grip on his wrists instantly loosened and disappeared. Tsunayoshi used that free time to twist around, eyes scanning the new faces that had arrived as he let his mouth twist down in an angry frown.

"Hey, Tsunayoshi-san," Yamamoto said cheerfully, even as he fiddled with the ring on his finger, Rain Flames dancing gently around his fingers. Giotto was at his side, eyes brighter than normal, even if his own Flames weren't visible just yet. His hands were clenched at his sides.

The person that had been holding Tsunayoshi's wrists only moments before was too similar to Hibari to be mistaken – Alaude was very much like his younger relative, though he wasn't as..._angry_ as Hibari could be, if the rumours were to be believed.

Alaude was currently staring at his hands, where his skin was pink with burns. His lips were pursed and his brow was furrowed, before his eyes lifted to Tsunayoshi, who snarled in return, raising his burning arms and getting ready to strike him.

Fon immediately ducked into view, smiling amicably and Tsunayoshi slowly, yet reluctantly, extinguished his Flames. Tsuna liked this one, to a degree. Tsunayoshi didn't want to upset him by hurting him too much, if at all. Instead, he turned his back on them and towards Xanxus, only to be blocked by Reborn.

Now _that_ was someone Tsunayoshi had no qualms about attacking. He quickly snatched Reborn's wrist and threw him to the side. He didn't expect Reborn to clasp down on his wrist in return and drag him onto the floor.

Tsunayoshi scrambled to get the upper hand, but was quickly pinned by Reborn who was taller, older and therefore heavier and more powerful. Bucking his body, he snarled at Reborn who simply stared at him in return, pressing his wrists into the floor above his head, with the hand that held his Sun ring so Tsunayoshi's Flames wouldn't burn him that bad.

"What do you want?" Tsunayoshi finally spat, flaring his arms, though Reborn didn't even flinch at the display of magick. Instead he just tightened his grip, looking down at him, fedora tilted in such a way it was almost falling from his head.

"Let Tsuna out." Reborn's voice was firm, and Tsunayoshi let a brow rise as he stopped his thrashing for a moment, trying not to let the incredulity at Reborn's statement show across his face. Did Reborn think him an idiot?

"Why? I can protect him better while I'm here. I don't see wh – ngh!" Tsunayoshi jerked in pain as Reborn pressed his free hand gently to his stomach, watching with traces of worry as Tsunayoshi dribbled blood because of the pressure.

"Some pretty severe internal damage there Tsunayoshi," Reborn said lightly. "You're angry. Adrenaline pumping through your body, you're probably blocking off the pain. What if Tsuna is getting that instead? What if you're hurting him? Just because you can't feel it, doesn't mean he can't, Tsunayoshi."

Despair promptly crossed Tsunayoshi's face as he gaped up at Reborn, brows pulling together. Slowly pressing his lips together in thought, Tsunayoshi peered to the side and mumbled, from the corner of his mouth, "T-This could be h-hurting Tsuna?"

"You feel what he feels, and come out to protect him, right?" Fon had suddenly crouched next to Reborn and Tsunayoshi. "You share that body, so he could be feeling the pain from the injuries that you've sustained."

Tsunayoshi flinched simply at those words, yet it was enough to make Reborn loosen his grip and slowly back away in fear that he'd hurt the smaller boy. Tsunayoshi simply sat up, letting his hands hover over his stomach and sighed, closing his eyes.

"So if I go away now, you'll care for Tsuna?" He finally asked, in a sharp voice, eyes opening and burning bright as he faced Reborn and Fon, suspicion twisting his features in doubt and paranoia.

"You'll see that for yourself, won't you?" Reborn simply replied, lifting his hand to jam his fedora firmly down on his head, shading his eyes. "Tsuna will be easier to heal anyway, since he can't access magick as simply as you can."

"How does that make it any easier? Just puts him at a disadvantage when you try to hurt him," Tsunayoshi spat out, starting to register the ache that seemed to permeate even into his bones. He was starting to tire, the exhaustion clearly rocking through him as he stood.

"You can use the magick in you better than he can. It'll conflict with the Sun magick that'll be used to heal you if there's too much Sky still in you."

Tsunayoshi observed them carefully before letting out a deep breath through his nose and started looking in himself for Tsuna, to push him back to the front. Panic clawed at his throat almost immediately when he didn't feel that familiar presence straight away. _Where was Tsuna?_

When he had remained still for about five minutes, a hand gently settled down on his shoulder and Fon softly asked, "Tsuna?"

"No." Tsunayoshi's voice pitched an octave higher than normal, worry lacing the word. "I can't find Tsuna. H-He's not _there." _Worried, Tsunayoshi lifted his hand to his hair and raked it through, picking at loose strands.

"What do you mean that he's not there?" Fon asked carefully, keeping his hand in place on Tsunayoshi's shoulder.

"Exactly _that_." Tsunayoshi stressed his words, fingers still tugging. "Tsuna isn't there, so he can't come forward so I can step back. _He's not there." _Tsunayoshi only barely felt Fon gently take his hand from his hair and pull it to the side, keeping a comforting grip on it. He didn't reprimand Fon or snap at him, glad for the calm that the elder brought. Tsuna's loss had startled him. He felt sick, and worry had locked his limbs in place.

When his knees buckled, Fon gently led him to sit on the floor and crouched by him, concern on his gentle features as he rest his free hand on Tsunayoshi's shoulder, other still gently clasped onto the brunette's own. "Could he be somewhere different?" his voice was soothing, and he gave a sharp look to Reborn who had moved to approach, warning him away so Tsunayoshi wouldn't panic.

"Somewhere different?" Tsunayoshi echoed hollowly before the words seemed to take root and he straightened, eyes widening. "He could be somewhere different! Which is the Mist user?" his eyes scanned the room briefly before they settled on Mammon.

Tsunayoshi let a smile of relief grace his features as he shook off Fon's hands and stood, walking across the room. "You. Search my mind for Tsuna. Now. I need you to find him." He stopped opposite the other, forced to tilt his head back to look at the other's face, masked by the hood as it was. Everyone was taller than him, he couldn't escape that fact. It put him at an advantage that made him immediately worry for Tsuna and himself. That thought was filed away for later. What was important was finding Tsuna.

"No," Mammon replied quite dispassionately, inclining his head so his eyes could meet Tsunayoshi's. "There is nothing in it for me; I do not know you and I do not owe you anything. I will not help you find Tsuna." As soon as the last syllable had left his lips, Tsunayoshi's hand snatched at the edge of his hood, and he dragged the elder down, fury twisting his features.

"_You will find Tsuna, or I will make life a fucking misery for you."_

"Do we know where Daemon is?" Giotto murmured this from the corner of his mouth to Alaude as he watched Tsunayoshi shake Mammon with vigour, Flames burning the edges of the Mist Flame user's hood.

"I'm not his keeper, Giotto. I do not know where he could possibly be." Alaude slanted a look towards Giotto. "Do you wish for me to find him?"

"If Tsunayoshi is looking for a Mist user, Daemon may be needed. It seems Mammon-san over there is reluctant to help Tsunayoshi and it may turn violent." Giotto pursed his lips as he watched. "I'm not sure the extent of damage Tsunayoshi can make while hurt, but it's probably still a lot."

Alaude frowned at that, eyes drifting back towards the brunette as he absently twisted the Cloud ring on his finger.

Reborn had approached Tsunayoshi and Mammon, resting his hand on Tsunayoshi's arm that was gripping onto the other, even though his eyes were on Mammon's mostly concealed face.

"Mammon. This isn't the time to refuse. Just look for Tsuna."

"Listen to Reborn, illusionist." Tsunayoshi snarled, even though he was briefly startled by Reborn's support. "Find me my Tsuna's for fuck's sake, before I force you." His hand gripping the edge of the hood flared brighter with Sky Flames, and Tsunayoshi's mouth began moving in a silent incantation.

As the spell began warming up, even Reborn could feel the power of it, the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rising, the air around them thickening and becoming almost stifling while his hand on Tsunayoshi's arm started to sting. The flooring under Tsunayoshi's feet had started to dent and crack with the pressure.

"I'll do it," Mammon suddenly intoned. "But know this, Sawada Tsunayoshi, you will owe me after I have done as you requested."

Tsunayoshi let his mouth snap shut, cutting the spell off halfway. The strain of stopping such a large flow of magick showed in the pinching of the corner of his mouth and the small stagger into Reborn, but he gave a tight smile as he said, "I'm glad we could come to somewhat of an agreement."

"I cannot promise that I can find him." Mammon stared at Tsunayoshi from within the depths of his hood. "Regardless, I will look." Before Tsunayoshi could respond, Mammon lifted a hand and slapped it against the brunette's face

This time it was Reborn who had to catch Tsunayoshi as he collapsed, eyes wide even as Mammon followed him towards the floor, hand still clasped to the brunette's face.

The room was silent for a long time as they watched the pair. It was for about half a minute that nothing happened before Tsunayoshi suddenly screamed, a blood curdling noise that caused a majority of the room to flinch in surprise and for Reborn to lose his grip, Tsunayoshi sliding to the floor.

The next moment after that, Tsunayoshi had his fingers clasped tightly around Mammon's throat, the movement incredibly quick, voice pitched with fear and angry as he shouted at his elder.

"What did you see? What did you see?"

"Nothing." Mammon sounded relatively calm, despite how choked his voice was with his air being cut off by Tsunayoshi's thumbs digging into his windpipe. "I saw nothing, just black and then you threw me out."

"If a door is locked, you do not try to break in," Tsunayoshi hissed at him, sounding slightly less hysterical. "There is no way Tsuna could be in there."

"Have you checked?" Mammon simply replied and Tsunayoshi loosened his hands in shock. Mammon wasted no time in scrambling away, rubbing his neck gently where dark bruises were already beginning to form because of the tightness of Tsunayoshi's previous grip.

"I...haven't. I-I thought that Tsuna wouldn't dare go in there, he locked them away for a reason, I _helped_ him lock them away, but i-if he got lost in t-there...no, oh no..." Tsunayoshi staggered back from Mammon and clasped his head in his hands.

"Tsunayoshi?" Giotto stepped forward to ask this. "Where do you think Tsuna could be?" He hesitantly reached as if to touch Tsunayoshi's shoulder, and had his hand slapped away harshly in response.

"That's none of your business! I'll find him myself!" Tsunayoshi tugged at his hair before making his way towards a chair, sinking into it, dragging his fingertips over his scalp. He didn't like the thought of where Tsuna could be. Just thinking of it made him feel sick deep down to his stomach, worry clogging his throat.

Everything was starting to ache again, his heartbeat thumping in time to the pulses of pain.

If Tsuna was in there because Tsunayoshi had decided to come out...well, he had to go in there and get him. It was his obligation. Memories were pushed into small corners and locked away for valid reasons, yet opening the doors was something that was surprisingly easy. If Tsuna had wandered in that direction and become curious about a door he could unlock...

Tsunayoshi closed his eyes and forced himself to relax as he gave a choked noise of panic, slouching in the chair, letting his mind start to drift away from consciousness. He'd moved his hands to rest on his lap and, almost conversationally, told the rest of the room, "I'm about to pass out. If you could prevent Tsuna's body from hitting the floor, I would be grateful, to some degree."

He felt his grip on the world slip away just a few moments later.

* * *

When Tsuna opened his eyes, he expected to still be on the floor he'd passed out on. Instead, to his confusion, he was in a small room that housed no more than a bed and a door embedded in one of the walls. It was dark in there, but Tsuna could still pick out these details as his vision adjusted to the dimness.

A few moments later he heard a whimpering that stopped his heart in his chest. It was a pathetic noise, little more than snivelling, but it was enough for fear to slam hard into him. There was something somewhat terrifying and familiar about what he was hearing and seeing.

There was a lump on the bed. The small and probably easily mistaken for bunched up covers or a pillow except for the noises it was giving off, whatever it was, was barely noticeable. Tsuna felt himself stiffen and he backed away until he was pressed against the corner furthest away from the bed.

Tsuna didn't expect to sink through the wall and step into a different scene. It was without that odd transition that hope coursed through him. This was nothing more than a dream. That was all it was. Nobody could walk through a wall without a spell, and Tsuna had heard no incantation for movement. This was nothing more than a dream.

It was with those words that Tsuna convinced himself to turn around to face the rest of the room and almost choked on his tongue at what he was faced with. The smell of death and rot hit him hard in the face, along with the smell of antiseptics and medicines.

The room was white. Everything was bright and white almost everywhere, the furniture, the floor, the walls, the ceiling...everything but what was sat in the middle of the room.

Tsuna was sure that whatever it was had been human once. It didn't resemble that much more any longer. There was blood, and gore, and white again, though that was what he assumed was bone.

Bile promptly rose in his throat as he realised that whatever – _whoever_ – it was, was still alive, before hands promptly dropped over his eyes and the stench in his nose disappeared.

When his vision came back he was facing a door that had no handle, yet owned a keyhole. There were several bolts that kept it locked shut and Tsuna couldn't help but shudder and step back. When he bumped into something, he immediately turned around and came face to face with what he thought was a mirror.

He realised it wasn't his reflection when the person that looked eerily similar to him, aside from the orange eyes, lifted a hand and rest it on Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna wasn't scared. He couldn't explain why, but he just wasn't.

The person opposite him started moving his mouth, talking, but Tsuna couldn't hear him, rather, a voice was speaking over him.

"_Tsuna!"_

A second hand lifted to rest on Tsuna's other shoulder, and his doppelganger stepped closer, peering intently at Tsuna's face as he shook him gently, mouth moving insistently in silent words.

"_Tsuna, wake up!"_

Desperation had crossed his copy's face, the fingers at Tsuna's shoulders digging in almost painfully. Tsuna could somehow tell that the other was shouting at him but it was still quiet. Tsuna himself was suddenly desperate himself, wanting to hear the words the other was trying to say.

Lifting his hands to the arms on either side of him, he started talking back, "What? What is it that you're trying to tell me?"

"_Tsuna, you need to wake up!"_

His twin raised his hands to hold Tsuna's face, moving his mouth slowly and deliberately. Tsuna let his brow furrow as he mouthed the words in return and was rewarded with fervent nodding before everything around him went black.

* * *

Tsuna woke up with a violent jerk and squealed in pain when his forehead connected with something hard. Someone started cursing and, as Tsuna's vision came back into focus, he realised he'd just headbutted Giotto, who had staggered away, cradling his face.

He vaguely recognised the room as the one he'd been dragged to by Xanxus and Squalo. The black haired and scary senior was on the other side of the room beside a mirror, checking his face. Squalo was stood just beside him, glaring icily at the occupants of the room.

"Tsuna, you're awake!" Yamamoto's cheery voice broke into Tsuna's examination of the room and the brunette jerked his head up to face his classmate who was sat on the floor next to where Tsuna was laying.

"Y-Yeah..." Tsuna replied slowly, smiling weakly as he rubbed his head, eyes dropping to his lap. He realised that a jacket had been sprawled over his frame was now on his legs and another one was bunched on the floor where his head had originally been.

"Are you okay?" Yamamoto continued, seeming persistent in suddenly invading Tsuna's personal space as he leaned closer, head tilted in question. Tsuna started at him for a moment before nodding timidly, hands moving to grip at the jacket that was pooled in his lap.

"I would appreciate it if you did not wrinkle my clothing."

Tsuna's eyes snapped up at the new voice and he felt his breath catch in his throat with panic at seeing Alaude sat on a chair just a scant few feet away. Then, the words that the elder had said seemed to click and Tsuna stiffened, immediately yanking his hands from his lap and sticking them up in the air. What resembled a smirk crossed Alaude's face before he returned his attention to a book that was held loosely in his hands.

Yamamoto took Tsuna's abrupt movement as a silent plea for help, and he stood, grabbing Tsuna's arm and wrenching him from the floor, pulling the startled brunette to his feet. Tsuna stumbled into Yamamoto at first, flushing just slightly before he straightened himself, smiling thankfully at Yamamoto who simply ruffled his hair.

Giotto seemed to have recovered from the sudden attack from Tsuna waking up so suddenly, and he was hovering by the smaller boy, hand moving to hold onto his elbow and catching his attention as he asked, "Tsuna...are you okay?"

"Yamamoto-san asked that as well but yes, I am okay Giotto-senpai." Tsuna gave him an almost shy smile as he lifted his free hand to try and peel Giotto off of his arm. The blonde took it the wrong way and clasped Tsuna's hand tightly in both of his, thumb rubbing against Tsuna's palm.

"Do you know what happened?"

Tsuna frowned at that, giving up his attempts of escape as he pondered his answer, digging through his thoughts and memories. Opening his mouth, he hesitantly replied, stumbling over his words, "I...I remember being dragged here by Squalo a – "

"Voi! That's senpai to you, midget!" was yelled across the room and Tsuna flinched. Giotto let go of his hand to wrap an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, dragging him protectively against his side and shielding him as he glared over at Squalo.

"Carry on Tsuna."

"S-Squalo-senpai dragged me here with Xanxus-senpai...?" Tsuna trailed off at the end because he wasn't sure how to label Xanxus. When he wasn't shouted at or bodily threatened, he felt confident enough to continue.

"Well, I was shot by Xanxus-senpai after I apologised to him." Tsuna let his brow furrow, not noticing the displeased expression on Giotto's face at his revelation. "There was pain at first, but then I got so _angry_ at him. All I could think was how _dare_ he hurt me; that he had no right to shoot me and that I wanted to smash his face in."

Giotto let his hand tighten around Tsuna gently, patting the side of his shoulder in an attempt to placate him, or soothe him. Tsuna was trembling and Giotto didn't know if it was because of fear or because of anger. For safety's sake, he hoped it was fear. Anger would drag Tsunayoshi forward again, no doubts.

"I don't feel like that now, though," Tsuna murmured, lifting a hand to gently grind the heel of his palm against his eye. "I just feel exhausted and a little confused. It feels like everything aches."

"It probably would do," Giotto sympathised. "Reborn did some healing but then he had to leave with Fon. You've probably got some nasty bruises here and there. As far as I know, nothing's broken."

"How did I get hurt? I only remember being shot in the shoulder, and then I was passed out on the floor after that, right?"

"That is..." Giotto trailed off, unsure how to reply and he lifted his arm away from Tsuna's shoulders, rubbing his head in thought. As soon as Tsuna realised he'd been leaning into Giotto for support, pain suddenly ripped through his abdomen and he collapsed, wrapping an arm around his stomach as tears squeezed out of the corner of his eyes.

Giotto was immediately crouched by his side, Yamamoto on Tsuna's left, opposite the blonde as Giotto gave him a worried look, murmuring softly to Tsuna, "There was also some internal damage, Tsuna...I don't think it was all completely healed. Sorry, I should've known, I wouldn't have let you go otherwise."

Tsuna could only blink blearily up at him through the fading ache in his stomach and registered something dribbling down from the corner of his mouth. Lifting a shaky hand, Tsuna touched his lip and moved his fingers into his vision, shock making him widen his eyes as he saw the blood marring his fingertips.

"Giotto-senpai..." Tsuna began slowly and noticed how the elder stiffened noticeably and nervously before he continued, "Can you tell me the truth when I ask you what happened?"

"Well, you see...I don't know, Tsuna," Giotto admitted, eyes drifting away from the brunette and across the room to Xanxus before he focused on Tsuna again. "The only people who do know are Xanxus, and yourself. And Xanxus isn't willing to speak, at least not to us."

Tsuna opened his mouth as if to speak before grimacing as he gurgled out a little more blood that was accompanied by a pain close to what felt like a stab to the stomach. Giotto leaned across without a thought, dabbing at Tsuna's mouth with his sleeve and ignoring the brunette's protests that he didn't need to be babied. When he was sure he wouldn't be hacking anything more up, Tsuna attempted talking again.

"Then, Giotto-senpai..." Tsuna trailed off, frowning. The meeting with himself in his dream, he doubted it had any significance, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Giotto-senpai," Tsuna repeated as he lifted his eyes to the worried face of his elder.

"If I myself am not Tsunayoshi, then who is he?"

* * *

Hey, you get this chapter early! I was lucky enough to be allowed internet access now that we're at the house and not in a caravan. So you get chapter six about a week earlier than I predicted I'd be posting it!

I had fun writing this one. I don't know why, but I just did. While at the caravan I ended up writing between 500-1000 words a day when I managed to get on my laptop, but most of my time was spent doing things with my grandparents or watching movies when the weather was bad haha.

So, I'm not home until the sixteenth still but there's wifi here that's on at somewhat irregular intervals. I might be able to get in another update after this in the next few days, but then again maybe not. It really depends.

Oh, Byakuran is an option sort of. Tell me if you want him to be an Interest to Tsuna or a Baddie!

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 8  
- Fon: 5  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 7  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 9  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 7  
Dino: 1  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 3  
- Squalo: 1  
Giotto: 4  
G: 0  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 3  
Daemon: 1  
Enma: 2 (Seems to be permanent!)  
Byakuran: (Should he be friendly to Tsuna/Tsunayoshi or an Antagonist?)


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Soul Vrazy **(Thank you very much! Glad my timing was perfect haha. Hope the curiosity was worth the wait and, about Tsuna's past, that will be gradually integrated into the story soon enough!)

**Wolferunner123 **(I think Tsunayoshi had every right to freak out considering his self appointed place as the protector of Tsuna lol. I'm glad you find it interesting, you're welcome for the update and here's the next chapter!)

**MilkTeaLord** (You! Yes, you! You are my **100****th**** Reviewer! **Have a cookie or two! Like I offered my 50th Reviewer, would you like a oneshot of anything particular? And I'm glad you think it's awesome!)

**XxPurexSoulxX **(Haha, thank you! Hopefully – no promises! – in the next handful of chapters more of Tsuna's past will come out and you won't have to stay curious for long, huh?)

**Tujing** (I have to admit I felt kind bad for Xanxus when I wrote that, lol, but he kind of maybe deserved it – in Tsunayoshi's opinion anyway!)

**The Kyuubi maiden **(I don't think he was about to let Xanxus go that easily lmao. Tsunayoshi is violent and unpredictable. If he thinks it's best for Tsuna then he'll go ahead with it. If it benefits him and he has fun, all the better! He just worries a lot for Tsuna in his own twisted way, that's what I was hoping to get across with his attitudes. Even if this does become that popular - I doubt it will, but one can only hope haha! – I still would try my best to give a reply to someone who took the time to look at this story of mine and write a comment.)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Yup! The question was asked! You'll have to keep wondering for now I'm afraid, but I'm sure I'll get more and more out with each chapter to start answering questions about this story! In the way of Byakuran, he seemed to me the sort of person that would only be friendly with someone if he had a use or motive for them, so I think the option of him being sort of both is better!)

**LovelessZim** (Have I seen you before? If don't think I have, so thank you for reviewing! First, I'm glad you think it's awesome! Second, was it really that wow? And third, YES IT DID haha! There's Reborn here for you!)

**Shanagi95 **(Sorry for confusing you. When Tsuna met 'himself' in that dream he had, he couldn't hear what the other was saying. _Tsuna let his brow furrow as he mouthed the words in return and was rewarded with fervent nodding before everything around him went black. _That part there in Chapter Six is Tsunayoshi telling Tsuna to ask about him, and so Tsuna asks Giotto who Tsunayoshi really is. Does that make more sense to you?)

**Mangopudding **(It took him some time, but yup! He finally asks about Tsunayoshi. Guess it's sort of hard to realise someone is there if you black out with no recollection every time they take over haha! Some of the characters in, but not all, sorry!)

**Guest/Hyperventilating **(Thank goodness one of us remembered the rings! Wouldn't stand to be like my sister's wedding, best man forgot the rings bless him! Of course I remember the wedding vows darling, who do you take me for? Your review always makes me smile somewhat giddily haha! I'm glad you think it's a cute habit, I just worry that others find it bothersome...And of course, choking is the best way to express feelings! Nothing stands better than a good ol' choke!)

**ShinDragonX **(Pshaw, I've been weird for as long as I remember. You're no longer alone in weirdness! I'll join you in this awesomeness haha! Tsunayoshi can't help himself in my opinion. So many things are happening around Tsuna in such a short time that he can't keep up with it all. Xanxus just happened to be the one that pushed him over the line that separates him from being calm and being in the sort of 'rawr, I'll eat you!' mode. And, technically, he flipped a table and a couple of chairs. Deflecting Xanxus' shots chucked a load of furniture about – just so you know, Mammon isn't paying for that. He'll probably sue Tsuna later and then get whaled on by Tsunayoshi for threatening Tsuna.)

**xxxKimi-chan **(The length of your review is somewhat daunting but amazing at the same time haha...I have this thing where I don't like my reply being shorter than the one I've been given, so sorry if I start babbling too! To answer your question, yes, I am an avid supporter of R27. I'm not sure why but there's just something about it that's just too cute in my opinion lmao. In the decision of Byakuran, if you can't decide then it's easy enough as to have him as a bit of both. I have a couple of ideas of how his relationship with Tsuna (and Tsunayoshi) could work if he was going to be nice and manipulative as well. In the way of the chapter, I'm glad you liked it! Things about Tsuna's past and Tsunayoshi's existence might start cropping up here and there now or in the future chapters! For the summary, should I change from **schizophrenic**to **has more than one personality** or **has multiple personality disorder**? I'm stuck on which one I should change it to or which one makes more sense. You're welcome for the update and here's the next chapter!)

**Crowned Knight** (Oh, it's your first time reviewing as well? Hello there and thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you think it's twisted and fluffy, I was hoping to get this story going somewhere along those lines. I think I'm treading a thin line between making this a little too dark or making the characters a little OOC...As for Byakuran, he totally fits the description of being a completely adorable bipolar psycho! It seems much easier to have him have a skewed sort of relationship with Tsuna/Tsunayoshi – the being nice one minute and then a complete jerk the next etc.)

**Yuu3 **(To be honest, I really didn't mean to make Mukuro appear that way, but it seems – to me - that that is the way I've portrayed his character. Tsuna has a basic sort of intuition. He knows if something bad is going to happen or if something worth noticing is going to happen, but he can't discern between truth or lies)

**SadisticPrincess13** (Oh hi there new reviewer! Glad you think so of this story and I'll try keep this up as best I can! About Byakuran, your choice is duly noted!)

**XxKatelynnexX **(To be random, I've noticed that whenever I type your name to reply to you, I always spell it Katelynee instead of Katelynne. I have no idea why that is haha...Anyway, thank you and I'm sure the answer will come along soon enough! Indeed, that is the question, but Good Byakuran, got it!)

**Naruta13 **(Ooh, someone new again! Thank you very much for your comment! I have to be honest that I like psychological issues and problems because there's so much potential in them as well as the fact that they're interesting. If I wasn't so set on being a vet, I would have taken psychology as one of my A Level subjects but alas, I'm getting off topic...I know it isn't schizophrenic, yes, but I've also been advised that I should change the summary just to cause less confusion. I'm just used to people mistaking schizophrenia as a mental problem that means you have more than one personality. I suppose what Tsuna has can be considered an unhealthy mix of a variety of things. Regardless, thank you again for reviewing! I have to add this, if you bother reading this reply I've given, but does that happen to be Allen and Kanda in your picture? Just wondering haha...)

**Kairenayui **(It'd be easy for Byakuran to be a bit of both – personality disorder himself, haha? Anyway, you're welcome for the update!)

**Yuki-shi-chan **(Welcome, new reviewer! The way it appears to be going, Byakuran does seem to be going down the path where he's nice to Tsuna/Tsunayoshi only when he chooses to be and nasty at other instances – most likely plotting behind his back! Thank you very much and I'm glad you love it!)

**BloodyDarkNaruto **(There's more Reborn here this time! And for Byakuran your choice is noted! You're welcome for the update and here's the next chapter!)

**Narutopokefan **(Okie dokie for 'Bya' being an interest! Glad you liked the fight! There's some Reborn and Giotto in this chapter, but none of the others, sorry. Hope you like the update!)

**Cellphone-itis **(Hello there another new reviewer! Thank you very much and Byakuran being friendly is fine!)

**Guesthurrhurr: **(I would answer your questions if that's what you wanted, but unless i could PM you or something, I don't dare risk writing the answers here – I don't want to spoil it for anyone. If you're willing to wait, however, then you'll find out soon enough! You're welcome for the update and here's another!)

**Killerninjaz **(I got this chapter out as fast as possible considering so I hope it was worth the wait! And I'll put it down for you choosing Byakuran as a little bit of both!)

**Maere Mara **(Hi there! I'm glad you think this story is well written and I hope you didn't have to wait long for this update!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

_Extended paragraphs that are in ITALICS are an old memory of Tsuna's! Thought I should clarify this so there's no confusion! Don't worry, this will also be a separate scene!_

**Chapter Seven – With Knowledge**

Before Giotto could give Tsuna a reply, the door had opened abruptly and a tall person, unfamiliar to Tsuna, had burst into the room, declaring loudly, "Reborn-senpai told me someone was _extremely_ hurt!"

Reborn ducked in after him, looking relieved at Tsuna being sat up and awake, before he walked over, murmuring to Giotto, "Knuckle couldn't offer his help, but he said that his brother is more than adept with his Sun magick to help the healing process."

Giotto nodded in reply, and then reeled back in shock as Reborn promptly dropped to his knees in front of Tsuna, reached forward to clasp his hand against the back of the brunette's neck and then pulled him forward until their foreheads were touch, fedora nudged awkwardly out of the way.

"R-Reborn-senpai?" Tsuna's voice was weak with panic and shock. "W-What are you doing?"

"Yes," Giotto quietly seethed. "What _are_ you doing?"

"I thought it would be obvious that I was scanning him for his injuries," Reborn flippantly replied, tightening his hand on the back of Tsuna's neck gently as his thumb brushed against the base of the teen's skull.

"Aren't there other ways to do so?" Giotto asked tersely, shifting his weight at Tsuna's side as he stared at Reborn, mouth pinched slightly as he refrained from berating the other. He told himself he wasn't jealous - he wasn't really! – just protective of Tsuna.

"No techniques that I know are as thorough as this one." Reborn let his eyes drift over towards Giotto, away from Tsuna's scrunched up, embarrassed face that he had been staring at before. Tsuna had had his eyes closed and so hadn't noticed Reborn's previous intent look.

"I don't know of any magickal techniques at all that can be utilised just by touching foreheads Reborn, I don't see h – " Giotto trailed off at the pointed look that Reborn gave him and he grimaced, raking a hand through his blonde hair as he muttered, "Though I see how unconventional methods may be suitable for someone of your kind."

Reborn smirked before he moved away from Tsuna, dropping his hand away from his neck to rest on Tsuna's leg instead, just below the knee. Turning his gaze back to Tsuna who was opening his eyes again, he murmured, "Deep muscle bruises in your shoulder, concussion from what I don't know considering you have no head wounds and of course the damage to your stomach."

"Ah?" Tsuna asked, sounding almost dumbfounded and Reborn snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I'm talking about your wounds, Dame-Tsuna. Your injuries."

"Do you know how I got them, Reborn-senpai?" Tsuna asked hopefully and Reborn gave a curt shake of his head.

"Sasagawa-san, can you come over here to help?"

The other Sun Flame user had been talking exuberantly to Yamamoto, the black haired male having stood from Tsuna's side to approach the other sportsman. Promptly, the silver haired teen jerked his head around and stated enthusiastically, "I'll be _extremely_ glad to help, Reborn! Talk to you some other time, Yamamoto-san!"

"Sure, Ryohei-senpai." Yamamoto smiled at him as he followed the loud elder across the room towards Tsuna.

Ryohei dropped to a crouch next to Tsuna, holding his hand out and shoving it towards Tsuna's chest in greeting.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi! I heard you were _extremely_ hurt, so I came with Reborn to help to the _extreme!"_

Tsuna timidly took Ryohei's hand in his own, of the arm that wasn't hurt. He almost had his arm ripped from his socket because of Ryohei's violent shaking of his hand before he let go, looking to Reborn with a grin, silently asking for guidance.

"If you could start healing Tsuna's shoulder, this one, then I'll start on the concussion. I'll probably need your help on the stomach when we're both finished."

"Sounds like some _extreme_ injuries you have, Sawada Tsunayoshi! Did you get into a fight? You should join the Boxing Club!"

"I-I don't know how I got hurt." Tsuna was feeling a little nervous around the loud person, and was promptly startled when Giotto took his hand in his own, smiling reassuringly at him. Tsuna relaxed slowly and, when Ryohei realised he wasn't going to get an answer, pressed his right hand with the yellow emblazoned ring onto Tsuna's hurt shoulder, channelling his magick as he chattered excitedly.

Reborn remained seated in front of Tsuna as he lifted a hand to gentle cradle the back of the brunette's head with his right hand, rubbing gentle circles against his scalp with his fingertips.

Tsuna felt himself begin to relax as the Sun magick started to soothe away his aches, spreading warmth through his limbs. He even gave Reborn a timid smile and was rewarded by Reborn resting his free hand on his knee and squeezing gently.

Everything felt warm and comfortable, and Tsuna soon felt himself begin to relax, briefly wondering if he could fall asleep sitting up. He felt tired enough to do so. He had just gotten himself into what he liked to call a 'comfort zone' when Xanxus appeared out of nowhere next to him, shoving Ryohei aside since he had finished healing Tsuna's shoulder.

Tsuna felt Giotto's hand on his tighten briefly when he stiffened in fear, Reborn's hand tensing on the back of his skull as if he were ready to pull Tsuna away, though they needn't have worried. Xanxus did nothing but sit there.

After a moment of tense silence, Xanxus demanded, "Help me after you've healed that trash, and I might deem it necessary to tell you what happened. And unlike that scum over there, my price isn't as fucking steep." He gestured rudely to Mammon, the only other person that had been present at the time to witness the somewhat one sided fight between Xanxus and Tsunayoshi.

Xanxus was scary, Tsuna decided. Like Hibari and Alaude. One of those sorts that had an aura that was absolutely _terrifying._ Tsuna had never felt more trapped in his life, not with Xanxus sat so close next to him that he could feel the warmth of the elder male.

Soon enough, however, Reborn's hand slipped away from Tsuna's head and came down to gently rest on Tsuna's stomach. He waited until he had caught the brunette's attention before he murmured, "Can I move your shirt to determine the outside damage? Skin contact also constitutes to better and more thorough healing, none of the magick gets caught up in your clothes to cause an accidentally charm."

Tsuna hesitated for a moment before nodding his head and giving permission, watching as Reborn slowly untucked his shirt and pushed it up until it met his ribs, all the while ignoring the fact that he could feel Xanxus eyeing him in what felt like a malevolent manner, if the pricking at the back of his neck was anything to go by.

He couldn't help but wince at what Reborn unveiled. His skin was such a mess of bruises that he wasn't sure if he should be completely horrified or disgusting fascinated with the rainbow of colours that his stomach had become.

Reborn seemed to be having the same thoughts, brushing his fingertips against Tsuna's skin, though he let the corner of his mouth twitch up as Tsuna gave the slightest shiver that had nothing to do with pain at the brief contact.

"Giotto," Reborn finally said, lifting his eyes from Tsuna and to the blonde at the younger teen's side, holding out his left hand towards him. "Can I borrow the strength of your Flame to heal this?"

Without a word of complaint, Giotto settled his right hand against Reborn's, fingers burning with the softest of Sky Flames. His other hand was still firmly clasped around Tsuna's and he tightened the grip slightly as Tsuna's fingers started to twitch around his in worry, holding onto him in return.

Reborn placed the palm of his right hand to Tsuna's stomach, ignoring the sharp intake of air and hiss of pain that the brunette gave because of the pressure in favour of beginning the incantation he would need to heal the extensive looking damage. Giotto's magick, unfamiliar and powerful, burned through his veins before it travelled from one hand to the other and then flowed into Tsuna, converted to Sun magick which started to repair the injuries.

Tsuna watched in both awe and relief as the bruises began to fade away from beneath Reborn's fingertips. The ache he had been feeling in his stomach was started to dissipate as well, something he was thankful for, and the taste of blood that had been lingering in his mouth was no longer as prominent, neither there or at the back of his throat.

"Is that any better?" Reborn asked, moving his hand away to rest on Tsuna's calf, eyes on the brunette's face.

"Yes. It doesn't hurt anymore, thank you Reborn-senpai."

"Some pretty bad damage in there, Tsuna. If your magick wasn't potent enough to already start healing you subtly, you might have died from internal bleeding. I wonder how that happened."

"I shot the fucker six times in the stomach by channelling my Flames through a gun." Xanxus snapped out. "Now get to healing my goddamn nose and everything else then I'll give you the whole fucking story."

Reborn felt himself sneer before he moved so he was between Tsuna and Xanxus, not liking how the more intimidating student was so close to Tsuna beforehand.

Being almost callous about it, Reborn pressed his fingers against Xanxus' face to determine the extent of his damage, wrinkling his nose. "You're pretty fucked up there, Xanxus-san."

"Get healing and I'll tell you why, scum."

Reborn bared his teeth in a savage grin before shoving his hand against Xanxus' side, grin widening at the shout of pain Xanxus gave for his wound and abused ribs being hurt even more. Before any complaints could be given, Reborn started pushing Sun magick into Xanxus, letting the healing begin.

"Now talk."

Xanxus snarled silently at Reborn before grudgingly starting to speak as he felt the pain start to fade.

"I shot that trash in the shoulder and he passed out. Told that long haired shit to take him out and the midget starts giggling like a fucking maniac, drags him down and knocks him out before literally exploding into Flames and attacking me, the little fucker. Told me I had to apologise." Xanxus snorted at that notion, wincing just faintly as Reborn shifted his hand. "Destroyed that half of the room with just a wave of his fucking hand."

"Did he talk in third person at all?" Reborn asked, grimacing as he lifted his free hand to brush against his forehead where the strain was starting to show on his face by the beading of sweat.

"Told me to apologise to 'Tsuna'." Xanxus sneered before lifting a hand to rub under his nose, where blood had been dribbling still, staining his upper lip.

Reborn fell silent as he carried on healing, waiting for Xanxus to keep on speaking as he moved his hand to the back of the scarred male's head to heal the lump that had been caused by Tsunayoshi's harsh kick.

* * *

Half an hour later and Xanxus finished his explanation gruffly to a mostly attentive audience. Reborn had been done healing him around ten minutes earlier but the black haired male had continued talking about what had happened in detail, pausing every now and then for no determined reason than to stare at Tsuna.

Tsuna was staring at Xanxus with disbelief and horror clear on his features. As soon as Xanxus had finished talking, the brunette blurted out, "How can you expect me to do something like _that?_ How on earth could I –" he gestured wildly at himself, "- hurt someone like you?"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Xanxus asked in a dangerously soft voice and Tsuna blanched, colour quickly draining from his face before Giotto intervened, moving to rest a hand on the inside of Tsuna's elbow.

"I think I should answer your question about who Tsunayoshi is now. It should make things clearer, about how Xanxus was injured so grievously by you, and how you have no recollection of what happened."

Tsuna's attention turned immediately to Giotto, though he didn't ignore the danger of Xanxus boring holes into the back of his head where the older male was no doubt glaring angrily and heatedly at him.

"Are you sure that's wise, Giotto?" Reborn asked quietly, settling crosslegged by Tsuna and Giotto on the floor after moving away from Xanxus to be closer to the pair. "Perhaps he isn't meant to know the truth yet, as harsh as it is to keep it from him."

"He wants me to know," Tsuna suddenly and automatically replied before his brow furrowed abruptly and, at the inquisitive glances, sheepishly mumbled, "I had a sort of dream and I met myself though...he wasn't exactly _me_ if you understand. I couldn't really understand because someone was shouting over his voice – I suppose that was Giotto-senpai – but he told to ask who Tsunayoshi was."

"Is that right?" Reborn let an eyebrow raise and Tsuna gave him a flat look in return because of what he had said.

"I hope you aren't implying that I am a liar, Reborn-senpai. I know what I saw." Tsuna swallowed thickly as his mind was flooded with the more unsavoury scenes he had witness, and he abruptly shook his head. "Even if I do not understand a majority of it, I know what I saw, and what was expected of me from what was apparently myself."

Before Reborn could respond to that, Giotto broke into the conversation with a mild voice as he asked, "What do you know of a condition called 'Dissociative Identity Disorder' Tsuna?"

Tsuna frowned at Giotto before he shook his head ruefully. "I'm sorry, but I can't say I've heard of it before."

"It's also known as 'Multiple Personality Disorder'." Giotto's thumb brushed against the inside of Tsuna's elbow comfortingly as he waited for his words and implications to sink in. Soon enough realisation slowly crossed Tsuna's face and he asked, in a faltering voice, "Giotto-senpai, are you s-suggesting that I have this?"

"Tsunayoshi is another personality within you, Tsuna. The blackouts, injuries, and damage caused are mostly because of this other persona within you. You are Tsuna and then there is 'Tsunayoshi'."

Tsuna abruptly stood, startling the two close to him, Xanxus also blinking in surprise. The brunette was trembling, incredulity and doubt clearly crossing his face, along with fear and confusion. His fingers were twitching spasmodically and he was shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"That can't be right. W-Wouldn't I know of this? How do _you_ know, w-what are you _on_ about?" His voice had pitched with hysteria and panic, his breathing coming in shallow and strained. "Just because of a few coincidences that I'm involved in, I suddenly have this...this _disorder?"_

"Knew this wouldn't be a good idea," Reborn grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet, Giotto slowly following as to not startle Tsuna any more than he was already shaken up.

"I'm sorry Tsuna," Giotto murmured, moving to gently settle a hand on the teen's shoulder, squeezing gently as Tsuna looked up at him with wide eyes. "But what we're saying is the truth. Reborn and I have met 'Tsunayoshi' as has Yamamoto-san, Xanxus and several others. You asked and I gave you the answer. Whether or not you believe in the truth to my words is your own choice."

Tsuna was ready to retaliate firmly, but something in Giotto's words hit a resounding note within him that echoed through his being and, as a sob choked itself out of his throat, he let his head fall forward to hit the surprised senior's chest, trembling fingers lifting to clasp at the blonde's shirt.

Giotto let his hands hover nervously before he slid an arm across the back of Tsuna's shoulders as he held the boy close, the other hand rubbing hesitant circles against the back of the smaller boy who was shaking and crying against him.

"Please say this is just some sort of joke," Tsuna finally whispered, so quiet that Giotto wasn't sure if he'd heard the other. Reborn replied for him, hand lifting to ruffle brown hair gently as he muttered, "Sorry kid, but it's the truth. There are two people in that body of yours."

After a long moment of silence that stretched uncomfortably and almost awkwardly, Tsuna mumbled, "Is T-Tsunayoshi a common thing?"

"As far as we've found out, he's just there to look after you, Tsuna." Reborn had kept his hand resting on Tsuna's head and fluffy hair. "Whenever you're hurt or scared or even emotionally distressed, be it by anger or sadness then Tsunayoshi comes out and takes care of you."

At his words, he would have been blind to miss how tense Tsuna had gone. By the stillness of Giotto's hand, the blonde had noticed how still and stiff Tsuna had suddenly become.

* * *

_The small body, dwarfed by a large grimy garment of some sort shuffled barefoot down the pristine corridor, aided by the rough poke to his back. Pain flared throughout his body with every step he gave, but it was almost nothing compared to the awe and longing he felt as his eyes stared at the tiny window set in the wall, the only vision it giving being the bright, bright blue sky._

_Tsuna couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the sky. Time blurred strangely where he was, with nothing to do, nowhere to go, nobody to talk to as he wasted his minutes, hours, days, months (years?) away by trying to cope with the agony he was under. _

_His pace had slowed too much apparently, and this time there was a harsh shove between his shoulderblades that sent him sprawling to the floor, cheek colliding painfully with the floor because his arms were cruelly twisted and bound behind his back with plastic ties. He felt loss and grief mixed in with the throbbing cadence of soreness his entire body seemed to radiate with._

_Face down on the floor, a heavy booted foot pressed too hard on the middle of his back just above where his hands were trapped in line with his hips at his lower back; he couldn't see the sky, or that lovely shade cerulean that had captivated him before. _

_Anger, an emotion far, far too strong to be his blazed through his veins with a suddenness that had him gasping softly in surprise and then groaning in pain as the foot on his back pressed ever so harder because he had dared make a sound. His spine felt as if it were snapping in two._

_The fire in his blood was appeased all of a sudden by a smooth voice that broke into his scattered thoughts of 'burning, burning, it hurts, please stop'. The pain was still a constant, but it seemed to have dulled with the soft spoken words._

Do you want me to take the pain away?

_Tsuna couldn't think of any other answer to give to that other than yes and, blissfully, he was whisked away from consciousness._

* * *

Giotto was aptly startled when Tsuna suddenly, and quite violently, shoved away from him with surprising strength and bolted for it before he could offer an explanation, leaving Giotto, Reborn and the remaining members in the room staring after him.

Yamamoto was the first to move, running after Tsuna and worriedly calling the brunette's name.

Reborn stepped up to Giotto's side, fedora tilted and obscuring his eyes, though his lips was pulled into a grimace, the corners of his mouth taut.

"Before you ask, it was Tsuna, and not Tsunayoshi who just shoved me away, Reborn. I just thought you might want clarification. Something about what you said triggered that reaction within him. Whatever it was that was experienced was obviously of a disturbing nature."

"Is it worth finding up on it with the help of Mammon or, god forbid, that Mist user of yours, Daemon?"

"Considering Tsunayoshi's reaction to Mammon's prying into his mind, I don't think the searching would be greatly appreciated. It might be something that will come out in its own time. If it starts to cause problems, well, then I'm not sure how we should proceed from there."

"If it was anyone else, you would be leaving him alone, Sky Flame or no, disorder or no, wouldn't you?" Reborn observed Giotto from underneath his hat and noticed the blonde straighten his back ever so slightly.

"I'm not only being supportive for Tsuna out of pity, Reborn, if that was what you were insinuating. It may come as a shock, but some of us actually care for another's wellbeing. What is it to you?" Golden eyes, sharp with mistrust flickered to Reborn's face.

"What does the name 'Sawada Iemitsu' mean to you, Giotto?" Reborn's voice was deceptively soft and quiet, and he showed pleasure at watching Giotto flinch ever so slightly.

"I'm not caring for Tsuna because of who his family is, Reborn. Some of us may be that shallow, but I cannot simply stand by and watch someone suffer."

"No need to be callous, Giotto."

"Then can I ask you to refrain from saying such rude assumptions of me?" Giotto relaxed by a margin as Reborn stopped scrutinising him, seemingly happy with whatever information he had gleaned.

"Why, of course, Giotto. I hope to see you around." Reborn tipped the brim of his hat to Giotto mockingly before he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the room, smirking gracing his features.

* * *

Tsuna only stopped his wild sprinting when he reached the courtyard, taking in great gasps of air, arms folding across his middle tightly as he shook violently. His throat seemed to be closing up and the longer he gasped the harder it was to breathe. His chest was tight and painful and he could feel a cold sweat gathering on the back of his neck.

_Panic attack. You're having a panic attack._

The words bounced around in his skull and terror rocked through Tsuna's body as he realised that the thoughts _weren't his._ Giotto had been telling the truth and it completely terrified Tsuna, horror welling in his being. There was another personality in him. There was literally _someone else _inside of him. He felt like being sick.

_No, no. Don't be afraid of me. I'm only here to help you Tsuna. Just to help._

The crooning did nothing to help, if anything it escalated the panic Tsuna was feeling. Breathing abruptly became even harder, before a smooth hand suddenly clamped down onto the back of his neck gently and he was pushed into a crouch, head being forced between his knees as a calm voice, if a little strained, told him, "Just take in deep breaths. The moment will pass in a few moments."

Another hand was rubbing up and down his spine in brisk yet firm movements, patting every now and then to try and aid Tsuna's breathing.

When the supposed panic attack had passed, Tsuna attempted to straighten, and his arm was caught as dizziness made him stagger.

"Careful there Tsuna-chan."

Tsuna put the voice to a face and the face to a name, forcing a smile onto his features even with the queasiness he was feeling.

"Thank you Rokudo-senpai. It isn't often I have panic attacks, but I'm glad you were here to help."

Mukuro kept one hand on Tsuna's upper arm, the other still resting on Tsuna's back. His mismatched eyes were narrowed as he watched the brunette smile crookedly at him, face flushed and breathing a tad on the shallow and quick side.

"I'll only accept that thanks of yours if you allow me to escort you to your room. I'm sure you can stand to miss a day of lessons after having an attack of that sort of severity." A grim smile tugged at his mouth but he refused to let his lips do anything more than twitch.

"I cannot even begin to fathom the amount of work I have already missed, Rokudo-senpai. I should probably get to lesson, as should you."

"Nonsense!" Mukuro replied flippantly, tossing his ponytail over his shoulder with a flick of his wrist after removing his hand from Tsuna's upper back. Before he could get another complaint, he tucked Tsuna's hand into his arm, as if the younger brunette were a girl.

Tsuna stared up at Mukuro before a tired, yet genuine appearing smile fleetingly appeared on his face and he let himself relax, not making a move to tug his hand away from the other male. "I live in the Decimo dorms, Rokudo-senpai. Second floor."

"Then to the Decimo dormitory it is," Mukuro said almost gallantly and this time managed more than just a ghost of a grin from Tsuna who weakly chuckled under his breath as he allowed the elder to pull him along, making sure the brunette could keep up with his pace.

After several moments of quiet that neither wanted to break, Mukuro finally decided to ask, "So, Tsuna-chan, who lives with you in your dorm?"

Tsuna blinked up at him in question at the suddenly topic change before wrinkling his nose in distaste as he answered, "Reborn-senpai and Hibari-senpai live with me. Hibari-senpai stays in the same room as I do." The disgruntled look passed and Tsuna smiled slightly all of a sudden. "Yamamoto-san is nice, though."

"Only three others live with you, Tsuna-chan?" Mukuro was a little surprised as he heard this, though he couldn't stop the displeasure that filled him at hearing that Hibari was rooming with the brunette. He hadn't particularly liked the fond smile Tsuna had given while mentioning the sportsman either.

Mukuro briefly debated over the fact that he was indeed jealous of Hibari and Yamamoto before he cheerfully told Tsuna, "Well, since there's room still, I can come and live with you too, huh, Tsuna-chan? At the least, I can stop Kyoya-chan from murdering you in your sleep!"

"N-No, I can't make you leave your room to move in with me! Don't worry Rokudo-senpai, you don't have to move, don't trouble yourself that way."

Mukuro bared most of his teeth in a wide, expressive grin.

"Oh, it'll be no trouble at all, Tsuna-chan."

From there it went silent again as Mukuro led Tsuna up the steps leading to the Decimo dorm, ignoring Tsuna's attempt to wave him off as he guided the brunette up the staircase and waited for the boy to walk into his room. Before the door could be shut he ducked in after the other and smiled at the somewhat put out expression Tsuna gave him.

"Just making sure you don't have another panic attack, Tsuna-chan."

"I'm sure it was a one off, Rokudo-senpai, I – why are you getting so c-close?" Tsuna's voice went almost worried as Mukuro approached him. He even backed off until he was pressed against a wall.

Suddenly, Mukuro was close. All Tsuna could see was the red and blue of Mukuro's eyes as the elder leaned close. Soft hair swung forward to brush against Tsuna's face and this time Mukuro didn't toss his ponytail back over his shoulder.

"You're interesting, Tsuna-chan," Mukuro murmured, a hand lifting to touch one of Tsuna's prominent cheekbones. He either didn't notice the other's flinch or chose to ignore it as he dragged his index and middle fingertips down to Tsuna's jaw.

Tsuna couldn't find his voice to protest, his words catching in his throat as he stared wide eyed up at the male opposite him, caught up in his gaze as if he were in some sort of trance that he couldn't get out of. He was dimly aware of frantic and enraged screeching in the back of his mind, but he paid it no mind, too overwhelmed with the sheer presence of the person in front of him.

Mukuro had such an aura that Tsuna didn't know if he should be afraid or enthralled. As Mukuro's fingers slid to under his chin, dragging his face up slightly before his hand trailed away, Tsuna found himself following the touch unbidden, and a dark smirk twisted the corner of the other's mouth up slightly. It was a devastatingly handsome look that smirk on Mukuro's face, Tsuna grudgingly noted as he swallowed thickly.

A hand once again moved to catch his face in a gentle grip and Mukuro situated his other hand to rest on the wall next to Tsuna's head, trapping the younger between his body and arm as he leaned in close enough for a dark flush to spread across the cheekbones and ears of the brunette he had effectively cornered.

Another smirk crossed Mukuro's face at the gently jerk Tsuna gave as the illusionist allowed his lips to brush Tsuna's temple near his hairline. Unfortunately, much to his disappointment and the brunette's somewhat relief, they were interrupted.

"What on earth are you doing to the Tenth?"

Mukuro reluctantly stepped back from Tsuna who immediately darted away and put furniture between himself and the other males of the room, blush still – attractively, Mukuro noted – staining his cheeks.

"Gokudera-kun." Mukuro's displeasure was clear in his words as he faced the silver haired teen. "Why are you of all people here?"

Gokudera sneered at Mukuro. "The baseball idiot invited me to move in here, since he abandoned our old room. He said how the Tenth probably wouldn't mind." Here he shot a charming sort of smile towards Tsuna who gave a disbelieving expression in return.

"Oh, so you'll be living here as well?" Mukuro frowned. "Such a shame I'll have to see your face everyday. I'll be moving in soon as well, Gokudera-kun. Perhaps we can get along for Tsuna's sake?" The sarcasm in his voice belied his words and Gokudera stiffened.

"What makes you think you're moving in here? Who knows what you'll do to the Tenth! What were you doing before I interrupted anyway?"

"Tsuna-chan was unfortunate to suffer through a panic attack. I was merely making sure that he was okay, Gokudera-kun. Don't be so quick as to judge another's actions."

"Really? It looked to me as if you were attempting to _sexually harass_ the Tenth against the fucking wall over there." Gokudera's fingers were twitching towards his pocket and Tsuna suddenly decided to chip in, to stop it from possibly escalating into a fight that would ruin the dorm room.

"A-Actually Gokudera-san, I d-did have a panic a-attack and subsequent dizziness as a r-result...Rokudo-senpai's concern i-isn't misplaced." Tsuna chewed his bottom lip in nervousness as Gokudera's eyes swung towards him. However, the look on the teen's face wasn't contempt but one of worry as he walked in the direction where the brunette was stood.

"Are you okay, Tenth?" The concern in his voice made Tsuna feel nauseous for some reason, but he pushed it down, smiling gratefully as he let himself move to sit on the couch, sinking into the softness it provided.

"I've been better, Gokudera-san, but thank you for worrying. I'm no longer dizzy and I can breathe properly again. My throat is a little dry, but I suppose at the moment that's all that is wrong with me."

"I'll get you a glass of water! Mukuro!" Gokudera barked out the name with something near to disgust as his tone of voice. "Stay away from the Tenth or god help me!" He let the threat hang in the air as he darted into the area the kitchen was situated.

Tsuna almost stopped Gokudera from running off to get him drink but decided to be selfish just for once, since his throat seemed as dry and as arid as a desert. Every time he attempted swallowing, it seemed to stick.

Mukuro, completely disregarding the warning he'd been given, walked over to the couch and settled himself next to Tsuna, one leg crossing over the other. Tsuna briefly noted that Mukuro had rather long legs, a little jealous at his own short stature as he found himself staring, a pout on his face which Mukuro found rather endearing.

Gokudera came back soon enough however, a glass of water held firmly in his hand, and a packet of aspirin in the other, both of which he set almost reverently on the table in front of Tsuna before he dropped onto the other side of the brunette, watching him with rapt attention.

Tsuna, a little daunted by the two males, reached out with trembling fingers first towards the painkillers, already glad that Gokudera had thought to bring them through. His murmured thanks had the other's ears turning pink because of the praise.

As he downed the two tablets and then drained the glass of water, Tsuna wondered how bad his grades were suffering because of his recent absences from the school. It was a grim thought and prospect, in his opinion. No doubt he would be failing most subjects by this point. Not that he wasn't already failing most of his classes already. He was only scraping a pass in a majority of his lessons, grades that weren't really acceptable. Briefly he pondered the offer Reborn had given in the way of tutoring, and the curious part of him wondered if the offer still stood.

The other parts of him showed vehemence to the black haired, hat wearing senior and his throat suddenly tightened again as he wondered if it was him that hated Reborn or _Tsunayoshi._

If the pressure building up in the back of his skull was any indication, Tsuna was pretty sure he was about to have another panic attack. His breathing was already coming in tiny little gasps that were making his chest heave and his body shake. The words of his companions were distorted in his ears as they showed his concern, and the world promptly tilted to the side, Tsuna's upper body careening into Gokudera and then teetering over to hit Mukuro before he could right himself again.

He was sat up straight again for about fifteen seconds before his vision blotted out and he felt himself tip forwards, faintly registering being caught by an arm around his waist and a voice nearby calling out a garbled spell.

* * *

When Tsuna opened his eyes, he was lying on the couch and the clock over the door said that he'd been unconscious for about twenty minutes. His dream was vivid in his mind, bile burning at the back of his throat.

_Tsunayoshi_ had visited him by that door again. Once more, Tsuna had been facing the door at first but this time the aged wood had been missing one of its bolts, and a jagged crack situated at the top stretched about three inches down, letting light peer through.

Tsuna had been smart enough not to peer through the gap as much as he felt curious. When the hand had touched his shoulder, he had turned around again but, before he could be spoken to, he'd woken up. He was grateful for that.

Knowing that there was another personality inside of him was a scary and sobering thought. He didn't particularly fancy talking to it, or him, or whatever you called a second personality. It was a terrifyingly new and foreign concept.

It took Tsuna a while to realise that a hand was carding through his hair gently, a warm palm resting on his upper arm since his head was settled on what he assumed was a lap. His eyes drifted away from the blank space he'd been staring at while consumed in his thoughts and they landed on the face of Reborn.

The hand in his hair stopped and the two stared at each for a painstakingly long moment before Tsuna sighed and closed his eyes again. There was no movement for a long time before Reborn resumed his actions, hand on his upper arm gently tightening, fingers rubbing back and forth softly.

"Where are Rokudo-senpai and Gokudera-san?" Tsuna asked softly, moving himself around on the couch slightly and folding his hands on top of his stomach carefully. Reborn's actions hadn't ceased.

"Mukuro is currently in his own room, undoubtedly packing his bags so he can move in here by the end of the week. Gokudera is settling into his room at the moment. He's staying in the same room as myself and Yamamoto, something about it being disgraceful if he were to stay in the same room as the 'Tenth'. How are you?"

"I feel a little tired, but I've been feeling like that since waking up and finding out I have a second personality."

Reborn's hand stilled in his hair and Tsuna sighed in disappointment. He was still drowsy and the action had been making it easy for him to start dozing off at intervals. Soon enough, however, the soothing motions began again, fingertips rubbing gently against his scalp. Tsuna could have purred.

Voice decidedly careful, Reborn dared to ask, "And what do you think about having this second personality, Tsuna?"

He didn't get an answer because Tsuna had fallen asleep on his lap. Sighing through his nose, Reborn channelled magick gently into Tsuna as he kept on massaging his head, if only to give the brunette peace a reprieve from any nightmares. He'd come in earlier when Tsuna was still sleeping, separated Mukuro and Gokudera from him and set the brunette's head on his lap, soon enough noticing that the other seemed to be struggling with some sort of nightmare. This time he wouldn't have one, he was sure of it.

Any more questions that the other needed to ask, or that Reborn would hazard asking himself could be left until Tsuna was better rested. After all, there was only so much one person could go through, and Reborn was sure Tsuna had passed that line a long time ago.

* * *

**EDIT: **Some stupid parts in here were fixed (not all of them). It's what I get for posting this and writing most of it between one and half two in the morning.

This chapter was frustrating. A thousand words in and I got utterly and completely stuck. Anybody up for giving me a hug?

It could have been out a little sooner but we had an incident where my brother-in-law (a man that is very close to our family) suddenly collapsed and struggled to breathe for a very long time and we had to call him an ambulance. It was a very stressful day.

After that (he came back the same night – they thought it was a heartattack, thank goodness it wasn't) I had to get some smart sort of clothes because I have work experience next week (at a vet's, I'm excited!) and so this may be my last update for a while.

In other news, I found out I couldn't go on holiday to France because I have to be home to pick up my exam results and sign up for extended education, otherwise I can't go on to do my A Levels...

Not only that but I have an upcoming hospital appointment because I have a condition called Scoliosis which gives me near constant pain and believe me, it's hard to write up a chapter when you're on strong painkillers haha...

A lot happened this week. Typing this out was stress relieving to me in some ways; it dragged my mind away from the worries and happenings of my life. In good news, this story's passed ONE HUNDRED reviews! Yay!

Sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter. There's a chance you might have to wait a longish sort of time for the next one as well.

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 10  
- Fon: 7  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 7  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 9  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 8  
Dino: 1  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 3  
- Squalo: 1  
Giotto: 6  
G: 0  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 5  
Daemon: 1  
Enma: 2  
Byakuran:  
- Interest/Good: 10  
- Antagonist/Bad:  
- Bit of Both: 4


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Guest1 **(Thank you! Here's the next update!)

**Schwarzien.D'Seventh **(It's okay that you didn't review last chapter, you aren't obligated to, I'm just happy that you choose to! I'm sorry(?) that you find his reaction disturbing, but I just wanted him to have a freak out – not only does it give the chance for someone to comfort him haha, but I thought that if you were told you had a side of you that was dangerous, you'd be more than a little panicked.

The reason why Ryohei was pushed aside, though your suggestion is a good one, is because Xanxus doesn't have much respect or faith in him since he doesn't know him. Reborn is different, on the other hand, because Xanxus knows him, and he's more easily bribed – information on Tsunayoshi's fighting – than Ryohei is, since Ryohei has no idea of what happened, if you understand. Basically, Xanxus doesn't care much for Ryohei and couldn't guarantee getting healed by him but he has a grudging respect for Reborn and can tempt him with info.

I placed them in the same room for a reason. In my opinion, Hibari hates to be beaten by Mukuro, so if Mukuro suddenly starts paying attention to Tsuna with Hibari present, then Hibari's going to take it as a challenge and do the same lol.

Yup, there was 6927 and I'll definitely be getting in some 6972 in at some point, as well as others and 72 if possible. Tsunayoshi's a bit nasty when it comes to most people, not a right attitude for romance lmao.

About Reborn and Giotto you don't really need to know about it, but it's Reborn looking out for Tsuna. He thinks that Giotto is only caring for Tsuna because of his father and doesn't want Tsuna to be hurt if he finds out that's the only reason why Giotto is being kind.

And indeed. Byakuran is Byakuran without doom raining down on _someone._ Anyway, long reply is long and I rambled myself heh...By the way, is this easier to read, spaced out, or should I write it all in just one block again?

Oh, and thank you very much for the hug!)

**Guest2 **(I'm glad that you find this story interesting! Thank you for the congratulations.)

**Wolf D. Dragon **(Xanxus noted!)

**Lovely Lie **(Okie dokie!)

**Shanagi95 **(The past will come in bits and pieces until someone with the knowledge of what happened comes along in the story. But, if you want to know more, then feel free to PM me and I'll give a reply over what you want to know!)

**CoolDude **(Okay, Xanxus it is! And yeah, Byakuran does seem to be the sort of person that's a sadist!)

**BloodyDarkNaruto **(You're welcome! At the moment, Tsuna is very unsure of Tsunayoshi and definitely scared of him haha. Reborn down for you!)

**Lashun **(Haha, I posted this at about 2AM my time. Luckily for me I didn't have to be up so early, only when I wanted to be up lol.

Your comment about Tsunayoshi and Tsuna splitting, and then there being selfcest totally made me giggle. I couldn't help it. But then it made me wonder if, since Tsunayoshi is a totally different personality, would it be selfcest at all if Tsunayoshi had his own body? Lmao. Okay for Xanxus!)

**Mangopudding **(Ugh, I posted it at some early time in the morning. I couldn't be bothered to wait until the next day to post it because otherwise I never would have gotten around to posting it – I procrastinate when it suits me.

Writing fanfiction is something that lets me get away from life; I tend to write when I need something to do with myself, otherwise I'm risk of getting upset or withdrawn, but you're welcome regardless and thank you for the hug.

I believe Tsuna's reaction is totally justified. He woke up with injuries and was suddenly told that he violently attacks people because of a personality stuck in his head. Giotto's explanation to him was only weak because he isn't that knowledgeable of the situation – all he knows is that there is Tsuna and Tsunayoshi, and that Tsunayoshi fights anything he deems dangerous to Tsuna with the intent to grievously harm. There's not much more he can really say about it.

Here's the next chapter. I managed to get a little of everyone you wanted in here.)

**Tujing **(Glad you liked the chapter. I'm not too sure myself yet how I'll let the relationship between the two personalities will develop, so I can't guarantee if Tsuna will ever warm up to Tsunayoshi. I'm a little upset I can't go to France – it's time that I get to spend with my dad since my parents are split – but I've been before so it isn't a great loss. As for the hospital appointment, as far as I know, its physiotherapy that I'm going to be taking. I've already seen the spinal surgeon twice, and he suggested this before more drastic measures such as braces or, god forbid, spinal surgery. Thank you though.)

**Naruta13 **(Okay for Byakuran! But yeah, I think having it as 'Multiple Personality Disorder' would be better – at least it's self explanatory and nobody should be able to get confused by it, haha.

I only had Tsuna find out because otherwise the chapters may have developed slowly and I didn't want to bore anyone with repetitive scenes, for example, Tsuna gets hurt, Tsunayoshi freaks out, a fight ensues, Tsunayoshi gives control back to Tsuna, Tsuna is thoroughly confused, and then rinse and repeat if you get me. Now that he knows Tsunayoshi is there, it gives me a broader range to work with for drama, if you understand...

There'll be more such traumatic events eventually, just not now sorry lol.

And I thought so about it being Kanda and Allen (Yullen fan?)! I had to click onto your page make sure lmao.)

**Soul Vrazy **(Sorry for there being no Yaoi, but I doubt it would escalate that far – since it's a 'T' Rated fic then that only means, at best, Shounen-Ai and no heavy stuff haha...sorry. I suppose you'll have to find out about Tsunayoshi in this chapter and the next few!

As for your question, though, I do read Yaoi themed books/manga/stories etc, though not often. Mostly fanfiction lol.)

**Yin And Yang **(First of all: HOW DID YOU KNOW? (that I was planning on having Mukuro creep into Tsuna's bed that is lmao).

About Byakuran, it's an interesting concept to have him as a sort of pervert haha, though he always seems cheery so he probably would be the type to harass Tsuna just to get a rise out of him. And a competition would be funny lol.

It's an idea for Fon to move in, but I think the most would be a sleepover or Tsuna finding refuge in Fon's rooms if it ever gets too crowded in his dorm. Ryohei and Lambo have yet to move in with Tsuna, since it sort of came across that the guardians would live with Tsuna. Sorry that Fon moving in can't happen for you! (Though I'm sure it would be easy enough at some point to have Reborn ask Fon to stay for a few nights if he were ever busy to keep an eye on Tsuna and the others)

Here's the update!)

**Zero Sama **(He does have a hatred for Reborn, haha, mostly born out of the fact that he was attacked because of him and because Tsunayoshi doesn't want anyone pushing into Tsuna's life)

(Is it odd to say that your username, for some reason, reminds me of History lol? Anyway, thank you for the EXTREME hugs and for the good job as well! Here's the update!)

**Feressaloveyaoi **(That's fine! And thank you very much!)

**Narutopokefan **(I got some people that were most voted for in that chapter as best I could haha. And yup, Gokudera and Mukuro moving in –Gokudera would be with Yamamoto and Reborn, Mukuro with Tsuna and Hibari (that will not be a good mix I guarantee). Here's an update, and I'll Xanxus in again within the next few chapters if I can. Thank you for the hug!)

**Guest/Giggles **(Thank you very much! I never thought this story would be so well received, so thank you for the congratulations again!

I don't find that I'm so much as 'dedicated' just that I need to do something with myself lest I worry and upset myself. There's not much I can do for my family and situations, and sometimes it just gets to me knowing that I have to sit to the side and watch as things unfold. At the very least, I feel I can do something for people who are interested in this story by updating it, you included.

I'd be quite grateful to be on the receiving end of your hug as well! As for the maybe, I thinking that perhaps I shouldn't look too deeply into haha.

I can't wait to see you! Just wait until my parents find out that they're getting another in-law! Oh, no, he wasn't berated at all. It was just a little nerve wracking for the poor man, if a little comical for the rest of us. I'm rather glad to be accepted as your wife dearest!

About you guffawing, I learnt that a couple of reviews back, that I shouldn't be drinking while reading your reply. I tend to, as I said, choke when I do because I have the misfortune of trying to laugh while I'm drinking and being unable to swallow lol.

I don't know if it is possible, but I'm flattered by you falling in love with me even a little more! The ending was just because I didn't want another cliffhanger. I've been throwing them at everyone like they're going out of style! And yes, of course your feelings were portrayed perfectly!)

**xxxKimi-chan **(Thank for the concern and hug. To be honest, I felt kind of bad for venting my problems out at you and my other reviewers/readers but I just wanted to get it out somewhere.

It's fine for the long review, lmao. I like seeing replies, and longer ones are exciting in my opinion. Very interesting as well!

Byakuran is a curious sort of person, but I could easily see him being kind to Tsuna and then, when seeing Tsunayoshi, being all sorts of inappropriate lol.

I'll get Enma in as soon as I can, but I actually have an issue with him that I've included in the author's note at the end. I just don't know how to actually introduce him – the problem's outlined at the end of the chapter.

I'm glad you enjoyed all the little Reborn/Tsuna moments. Reborn seems to be one of the more popular characters, so it makes sense to give him more Tsuna time haha.

In the way of waiting, I managed to get this finished before I go off to work experience, so I posted it when it was finished! So, in retrospect, the wait wasn't that long at all. Can't promise the same for the next chapter though!)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Summer is supposed to be a time when we can relax and go on holiday, but instead we're being held by school still lmao. It definitely is unfair, but this is something I signed up for, so I can't really complain all that much.

Thankfully, in the way of my curve, it isn't as bad as it could be. My shoulder is hunched and I've lost three inches of height in the past year and a half, but I'm not too fussed about that. The worst part of it, is that it's chronic pain and, being the age that I am, they can't put me on painkillers that are really strong enough. However, my tablets get changed back and forth, I'm constantly at the doctor's and I'm almost constantly in pain. Sometimes I'm taking between ten to sixteen tablets a day that make me tired all the time and unfocused and, just to make it worse, the tablets cause depression, which means that I always get the urge to just sit down and cry. It's just frustrating. I'm really sorry for complaining so much to you about this.

I wasn't sure how to bring Gokudera in, but it seemed right to have him pop in at that point. I'm glad you think that they're in character and Reborn and Tsuna are definitely getting closer lol.

I've never heard of a series called Switch. Is it a book series or something else?

Anyway, thank you very much for your concern, and here's the next chapter. Writing is calming to me sometimes, and this was one of those times. I just curled up with my laptop and watched cartoons haha.)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Chapter Eight – Broken Thoughts**

When Tsuna woke up the next morning he really didn't want to get out of his bed. He wanted to curl up under the covers and hide away from the world and his problems. As he tucked himself up and rolled over he was aware of warmth across his waist and resting against his front.

As he opened his eyes blearily in confusion, he met the mismatched eyes of Mukuro who, rather cheerfully, yet quietly declared, "Good morning Tsuna-chan!" He gave a squeeze of his arm around Tsuna's waist as he did so.

Tsuna stared for a moment before he promptly squealed and threw himself out of the bed. Almost immediately, Hibari's head popped over from underneath his covers and he hissed angrily, _"Herbivores!"_

Realising he was literally stuck between a rock and a hard place, Tsuna scrambled to his feet and ran out of the door, making sure that he was courteous enough to close it somewhat gently behind him, so Hibari wouldn't be angry at the loud noise of slamming.

He ended up running into Yamamoto in his frantic escape, who grabbed onto his upper arms to keep him standing, laughing quietly, "Hectic morning, hey, Tsuna? I'm surprised Hibari-senpai isn't already up and awake. Was it you squealing?"

Tsuna stared up at him before smiling weakly as he answered, "Yeah, it was me squealing. Rokudo-senpai was in my bed this morning." If he noticed the tightening of Yamamoto's smile or the sharp look in his eyes, he didn't comment on it, simply stepping away.

About to walk into the bathroom, he paused and then turned to face Yamamoto again. Fisting his hands in the hem of his pajama shirt he asked, eyes on his feet, "Yamamoto-san, did you...did you know about myself and...and _Tsunayoshi?"_

Yamamoto simply stared at him, wondering how he should go about this. Eventually, he approached the smaller teen and rested his hands gently on his shoulders, smiling softly at him. When he answered, his voice was careful and slow, so as to not upset Tsuna too much, as he was obviously agitated.

"Yes, I did Tsuna. We took you to the Primo dorm shortly after that Infirmary incident on Saturday and you attacked Reborn while not yourself."

Tsuna choked out a sob, hand jerking to his mouth at the way Yamamoto had phrased it.

"N-Not myself?"

Yamamoto squeezed Tsuna shoulders gently before he tugged the other into a hug, resting his head on Tsuna's hair. "Yeah, Tsuna. He told us that he was Tsunayoshi. Try not to worry about it too much. He's just trying to look after you, right?"

"T-Trying to look after me? I-It's a mental d-_disease_ Yamamoto-san." Tsuna pressed his hand firmer against his mouth to try and hide his distress, Yamamoto's arms tightening around him as the teen tried to soothe the brunette.

_I'm more than that Tsuna. But he's right. Don't worry. I'm only here to care for you._

As the words slid into his mind, as slippery and as sly as a snake, Tsuna jerked back from Yamamoto and cowered in on himself, before vehemently shaking his head and walking towards the bathroom, almost violently shaking off Yamamoto's concern.

Slamming and locking the bathroom door behind him, Tsuna sank down to sit on the floor, staring at his hands which trembled in front of his face. He didn't know how to handle this. He wished he'd never been given an answer by Giotto; that he hadn't asked who Tsunayoshi was. He would have been better off.

Slowly standing, Tsuna moved to the sink so he could splash his face and looked at himself in the mirror. All of a sudden he felt sick at seeing his face and sincerely wondered if it was his own face or if it was _Tsunayoshi's. _Whose body was this?

_It's yours. It was always yours. I'm only here to help._

"Stop talking to me!" Tsuna shouted before he viciously, and rather stupidly, planted his fist in the mirror. Straight afterwards, he stifled a noise of pain and tugged his hand free at the same time there was frantic banging on the door.

"Tenth? Tenth, is everything okay?"

Before Tsuna could answer the door, someone used some creative magick and he heard the lock flip over as the door swung open. Gokudera was the first one in, followed by Yamamoto, who hissed between his teeth in sympathy at the mess Tsuna had turned his knuckles and fingers into.

"Everything is fine, Gokudera-san," Tsuna finally whispered. "Thank you for your concern." He moved to start running the tap as he tried to pick fragments of the mirror out from between his knuckles. Blood was dripping into the sink, sliding against the porcelain and staining it a bright red colour.

When Yamamoto realised that Tsuna was shaking too violently for him to help himself, the taller teen walked into the room and gently took the hurt hand into one of his own, deftly starting to pluck out the larger pieces of broken mirror, mumbling about how the rest might have to be washed out unless Tsuna had a needle or tweezers.

Within about fifteen minutes, Tsuna's hand had been cleaned and carefully bandaged. The brunette was currently sat on the sofa next to Gokudera, a mug of warm tea cradled in his hands. Yamamoto was across the room, standing at a mirror as he fiddled with his tie.

Eventually the only closed bedroom door slammed open and Hibari came stalking out. He spared nobody a glance and left the dorm, easing his way around Reborn who had just walked in.

"Kyoya-kun!" Mukuro simpered mockingly from the doorway of the bedroom, still dressed in loose nightwear as he fluttered his eyelids. "Don't leave me like this!"

Hibari snarled in return and then disappeared down the corridor, leaving the startled members of the dorm staring after him and at Mukuro. Reborn broke the silence first with a bark of laughter as he tugged at the collar of his shirt before swiping the hat off of his head.

"Shouldn't you be getting dressed, Mukuro? Education won't wait for you."

"Why should I get dressed if Tsuna-chan is still in his pyjamas? Are you showing favouritism, Reborn?"

Reborn's eyes drifted to Tsuna who was hunched over his tea on the couch still. The brunette was pale and his attention was on the liquid in the mug, as if it could give him answers and solutions to his problems. Then, Reborn's eyes caught sight of the bandages wrapped around Tsuna's slim fingers and he asked sharply, "What happened?"

Yamamoto shifted nervously and a little guiltily at the mirror as his fingers tugged at the knot he'd made of his tie. Turning around he opened his mouth to speak when Gokudera spoke up first.

"I heard the Tenth shout. Yamamoto managed to get the door open with his magick and we found the Tenth had punched the mirror. What was it that you shouted anyway, Tenth?" Gokudera's voice softened towards the end of his sentence and Tsuna promptly stiffened in his seat, the sound of his breath catching in his throat audible.

"I-I told h-_him_ to stop talking t-to me. I don't s-see how I've n-never noticed him b-before, w-what he says is s-so...it's d-different to how I am, b-but I never t-thought wrong of i-it...I always t-thought I was hearing t-things, or that it was m-my magick or something t-talking to me. Doesn't magick do t-that?" Tsuna took in a deep steadying breath when he was given a negative answer and was then startled when Mukuro dropped onto the couch next to him, moving to rest a gentle hand on his wrist.

"I can seal him away, Tsuna-chan, if that's what you wanted. He would still be there, but you would never have to listen to him again, or have Tsunayoshi-kun come to the front."

Unbridled rage made Tsuna jerk and the mug went flying out of his hand, the cooling, now lukewarm drink spilling over his legs and the floor as he fought to catch his breath and keep his vision clear. He wanted to punch Mukuro in the throat, or cut out his tongue out or...or...

Tsuna was moving before he could control himself, and his palm connected with Mukuro's face with a harsh sound, the force causing the other's head to turn to the side as Mukuro's heterochromatic eyes widened in shock and anger.

Tsuna had abruptly moved to grab his wrist with his free hand, staring at the appendage as if it were a snake or some other sort of deadly animal that would kill him when he looked away. Despite the fact Tsunayoshi seemed to have heeded him to stay silent, he could hear the other personality screaming in his head. He could even _feel_ the other thrashing around in anger, twisting and looking for somewhere to slip through again so he could attack Mukuro once more, claw at him, tell him _exactly_ what he could do with the advice he'd given.

Knowing that Tsunayoshi was something that existed suddenly seemed to make him ever so more present in his mind and body. That was a horrifying prospect. It seemed to be giving Tsunayoshi more control over him.

Reborn was suddenly opposite him, ignoring as his knees settled on the damp carpet, the wet seeping through the fabric of his trousers. His hands had lifted up to hold onto Tsuna's face and he jerked the brunette's head around to look him in the eye.

"Don't let it control you, Tsuna." Reborn kept his eyes firmly on Tsuna's face as the other stared at him in panic. Reborn carried on speaking, "You're stronger than he is. You don't need to be scared; you don't need to let him do what he wants. This body is yours, your mind is yours. My advice would be to not let Mukuro put him away because that barrier will eventually fail. You have to fight Tsunayoshi yourself, starting right now. Could you move your legs? You're crushing my ribs."

Tsuna didn't know when it had happened, but his knees had lifted without his permission and had latched onto Reborn's middle, digging in tightly with force. As soon as he realised what was happening he let his legs drop, still staring into Reborn's dark eyes. He was rewarded with a thankful and pleased smile.

He could feel tears welling in his eyes, but Tsuna didn't feel embarrassed by it, only ashamed and scared of himself. He was still too nervous to let go of his wrist despite the burn in the cut fingers clasped around his arm since he could feel the urge to strangle Reborn, to pin him down and choke him slowly, watch him gasp for breath because he _needed to die and get out of Tsuna's life already!_

The tears promptly spilled over and dripped down Tsuna's cheeks as he mumbled out, mostly to himself, "But I don't want him to die."

"Don't listen to him Tsuna." Reborn's hands gently tightened on his face, thumbs brushing wayward tears off of Tsuna's face. "Just ignore him. It's your body after all."

Swallowing thickly, Tsuna nodded as best he could with Reborn's hands clamped onto his head. Reborn let go of his face and ruffled his hair, giving him a reassuring smile.

"You should get dressed. I'm sure I can make breakfast this morning. Going to school and doing something normal should hopefully calm you down, huh?"

Tsuna nodded but made no move. Reborn didn't move either, staying knelt opposite the brunette, hands resting on Tsuna's knees.

Mukuro broke the tense atmosphere by throwing an arm around Tsuna and making the younger teen jolt briefly in shock before the Mist user declared, "Let's get dressed, Tsuna-chan!" Without waiting for his answer, Mukuro tightened his arm around Tsuna and dragged him to his feet, pulling him past Reborn and keeping him tucked against his side as he walked into the bedroom with him.

* * *

Tsuna kept a forced look of interest on his face as the teacher droned on and on about the homework he'd missed, several sheets sprawled on the teacher's desk.

Yamamoto and Gokudera were waiting dutifully by the door so the three of them could go to lunch together, both having agreed to keep an eye on the brunette so he didn't get hurt, hurt himself for some reason or have another semi-breakdown without support.

"So, do you understand? I can't expect you to do the practical magick within lesson time but so long as the theory work is completed I can give you a pass for this subject. I've only outlined the basics, but I'm sure Yamamoto-san or Gokudera-san will be happy enough helping you if need be." The teacher's eyes drifted over to the waiting boys who were stood in the doorway.

Tsuna bowed his head respectfully before he gathered up the multitudes of paper and stuffed them into his bag before he went to join the two at the door, smiling weakly up at them.

"Are you ready to go now Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, slinging an arm around his shoulders and ignoring Gokudera's angry spluttering.

"Y-Yes, Yamamoto-san." Tsuna nodded and couldn't help but smile slightly as Yamamoto tightened his arm slightly, the other making a pout twist his mouth even though there was cheer in his eyes.

"How am I going to get you to drop that suffix, Tsuna? I mean, even if you wanted, you could call me Takeshi!"

"Could I just call you Yamamoto-kun?" Tsuna asked, "I-I mean, just for now. Until I get to know you better, right?"

"Then Tenth, call me 'Gokudera-kun'." Gokudera said with enthusiasm, pointing to himself with an index finger.

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna repeated shyly and Gokudera promptly flushed pink in the face even as he smiled brightly, exuberantly nodding his head. Tsuna continued talking after that, "Would you rather call me Tsuna then?"

"N-No, Tenth is fine! It's a title worthy of you!"

"Maa, Gokudera-kun sure is funny, huh Tsuna?" Yamamoto chuckled and Tsuna couldn't help but smile along with him as Gokudera spluttered again, getting angry at Yamamoto.

Tsuna slowly realised that he was getting comfortable around the two and found that he didn't really care about it. A sickened feeling rose within him if he wondered his previous distaste of other people getting close was because of Tsunayoshi.

The urge to apologise to not only Yamamoto and Gokudera, but to others as well, such as Reborn and Giotto because of the unsavoury and nasty thoughts that he'd had towards them over the past handful of days welled up inside of him. It hadn't even been a week and his life was already in disaster and the number of people he knew had escalated from just a meagre number of names to more people than he could count on all of his fingers. He wondered what it was that had turned his life upside down.

Reborn. It had all started because of Reborn. If he hadn't of paid so much attention to him during that lesson on Wednesday, if he hadn't insisted he use his magick or stay with him, then Tsuna wouldn't have been attacked on Thursday. He could still be having a normal life right now, free of all this drama.

Tsuna snapped out of his thoughts when Yamamoto gave him a gentle shake, asking in a soft and worried voice, "Are you okay Tsuna? You sort of spaced out there for a moment. You were making faces like you were in pain."

"I was just thinking. At least, I was trying to. Yamamoto-kun." Even Tsuna could hear the desperation and upset thickening his voice. "I can't tell where I end and Tsunayoshi begins. Everything sort of blurs together up here." He weakly lifted a hand to tap his forehead. "I wish I hadn't learnt about his being there."

Yamamoto lifted his hand to press it absently to his mouth in thought as he watched Tsuna, the brunette looking up at him with a look that was a mixture of hope and something close to despair. Swallowing thickly, Yamamoto chose his words carefully as he said, "Powerful Mist Flame users like Rokudo-senpai can alter your memories just slightly, Tsuna, if you want to forget learning about Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna's knee suddenly jerked up and slammed harshly into Yamamoto's stomach before he forced himself to back away and hit the wall, horror crossing his face as he moved his hands up to grab onto the front of his shirt, needing something to hold onto as he watched Yamamoto double over with a wheeze.

"Yamamoto-kun! Goodness, I'm sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean, at least I'm sure I didn't mean to but..." Tsuna broke off into a breathless sort of whimper of terror, hands untangling from his wrinkled shirt to hover over his mouth, eyes wide with remorse and guilt.

"Its okay, Tenth," Gokudera murmured this soothingly as he moved to help Yamamoto straighten. "We understand you don't mean it. But, perhaps, the baseball idiot is right? If you have this memory of learning about the other personality, then maybe you won't be as aware of him as you are now."

Halfway through an angry incantation Tsuna managed to let his mouth snap closer, fingers twitching as the last of the magick trickled away, leaving his skin tingling with a faint prickling sting.

"It's indeed something to take into consideration, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna nodded, tilting his head forward to try and hide his face with his hair, fingers twisting in front of him nervously. "But could we talk of it later? I'd rather go to lunch now, and probably apologise to Yamamoto-kun again."

"Don't worry, Tsuna. I'm fine. It just winded me; the hit was sort of unexpected."

"I'm still sorry," Tsuna's voice was weak and filled with shame and mortification. Yamamoto placated him as best he could by reaching across and ruffling his hair enthusiastically before dragging the other into a brief and almost backbreaking hug, squeezing the air out of the brunette and making him laugh a little, even if it sounded strained.

Gokudera didn't even berate Yamamoto for his actions this time.

* * *

"Fon-senpai!" Tsuna couldn't contain his happiness at the senior when he saw the other at the desk in the brunette's last lesson for the day.

"Ah, Tsuna." Fon turned quickly to face him, smiling slightly as Tsuna walked closer, smiling brightly. "So you see I'm taking your lesson today. Don't worry, you won't be expected to conduct magick if you don't want to."

Tsuna nodded relief obviously crossing his face as he simply stood there in front of Fon, smiling up at him in return. Fon didn't know what else to say or do, though he couldn't help it when he lifted his hand and moved to rest it against soft and fluffy hair.

The two stood like that for a long few moments before Fon murmured, sliding his hand away from Tsuna's hair, "Perhaps you should get to your seat, Tsuna."

"Okay, Fon-senpai." Tsuna gave another smile to him before walking to his desk, and sitting down gently as he set his bag underneath the table, leaning his elbow against the wood and pressing his cheek against his palm as he watched the front of the class, other students trickling in and getting excited at the prospect of being taught by Fon.

Yamamoto and Gokudera hadn't been in Tsuna's previous class, so he didn't know where they were now, or if they were in this class with him. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't sense the flare from his intuition before it was too late and something smacked into the back of his head, causing him to lurch forward and slam his face into the desk.

Snickers rang about the room like wildfire, followed by several chortles and several laughs, along with a handful of catcalls.

Tsunayoshi was suddenly so very, _very_ present in Tsuna's mind. A tangible presence, a pressure that the brunette could feel as invisible fingers plucked at his control in expert motions that Tsuna realised was making it very hard for him to keep a grasp on his body and consciousness. Already his hands were twitching without his meaning to, the muscles in his legs tensing in preparation to make him stand or launch backwards towards whoever had dared to throw something at him.

Tsuna could no longer tell which his thoughts were anymore and which weren't, just that he had the urge to punch and burn and scratch and kick everyone to teach them of what would happen if they chose to attack him and then laugh at his misfortune.

Powerful magick suddenly swept through the classroom, making loose items rattle and empty chairs without students tip over. The air was thick and warm, muggy like the stifling feeling that was present before a storm.

"Mochida Kensukue-san." Fon's voice was deceptively calm, completely belying the oppressive feeling of his magick that was currently making the weaker members of the class choke ever so softly. "I would appreciate it if you could apologise to Tsuna here for your actions." The power of Fon's magick kicked up a notch, enough to make Tsuna shiver at the feeling of it pressing on his skin.

It took that shiver for Tsuna to realise that he was once again in complete ownership of his limbs and thoughts, no longer having to battle with Tsunayoshi or indeed with his own conscience because of being unsure of what thoughts were his and what weren't. In fact, although he wasn't entirely sure, Tsunayoshi was seeming almost grudgingly respectful that Fon had helped?

"Sorry Sawada-san." The apology, strained because of pressure from Fon was spoken, sounded sincere enough even as it was forced out of a clenched jaw.

Fon smiled again and the oppressive feeling of his magick disappeared without warning and a collective sigh of relief ran throughout the classroom when the force dissipated completely from the room.

When the class was settled again and everyone had been split into groups to conduct magick, with Tsuna being the exception. Fon approached the brunette's desk and dragged an empty chair over to set it opposite Tsuna's table, sitting down and smiling softly at the other.

"Are you okay Tsuna? I noticed you had a bleeding nose, but it seems that's already gone by now."

"Y-Yeah. My magick tends to heal minor injuries without any initiation on my part, as far as I know. Do you..." Tsuna trailed off absently and Fon moved his hand to gently rest on top of Tsuna's.

"I know about Tsunayoshi. You think it could be Tsunayoshi that uses your magick to heal you?"

"It's just a thought." Tsuna's voice was mostly a mumble as his gaze dropped to the desk and Fon smiled at him, hand squeezing gently against the brunette's wrist, thumb rubbing against the pulse thrumming under the skin in absent and circular motions.

"You have reason enough to think that though, unfortunately." Fon sighed. "I'm sorry Tsuna."

"What are you apologising for, Fon-senpai?" Tsuna met his eyes, looking completely confused and startled. Fon rather thought that he looked like some sort of small, uncertain wild animal.

"For your situation, Tsuna. No one deserves to have to go through what you have, or to go through what you'll no doubt experience as a result, and most of all I'm sorry that there's nothing I can do for you."

Tsuna stared for a long moment, before the corner of his mouth quirked a little in a small smile and he murmured, "I think someone needs your help, Fon-senpai. Thank you for your concern."

Fon watched him silently before he let go of Tsuna's slim wrist and stood. For some reason he couldn't fathom he decided to lean forward and press a kiss to the top of the brunette's head, pleasantly surprised when he wasn't attacked for it, since he had heard from Reborn that Tsuna would lash out whenever Tsunayoshi was uncomfortable with the people nearby.

The colour that flooded Tsuna's face, along with the stammering was something worth seeing as well. Fon was just happy that he had perhaps just lightened Tsuna's mood somewhat, if only slightly.

Not to mention Fon couldn't help the small uncharacteristic smirk that crossed his face at the reaction Tsuna had given.

Occupied with the rest of the class, Fon didn't manage to get to talk to Tsuna until the end of that lesson, but he had felt what was undoubtedly Tsuna's gaze on his back for a majority of the hour he'd spent aiding the other students. He showed no sign that he knew the other was staring, however.

Tsuna sighed as he watched Fon correct the hand signs of one of the girl's in the class before the bell began chiming and students filed back to their seats to hurriedly gather up their bags and leave, some of them chatting to Fon before they walked out of the door.

Gathering his own bag, Tsuna made a move to leave himself, when Fon seemed to just appear by his side, pressing his hand to the inside of Tsuna's elbow, grasping gently as he asked, "Can you stay for a few more minutes, Tsuna?"

"Yes I can, Fon-senpai. I can't stay for long, however. Yamamoto-kun and Gokudera-kun might get concerned and worried if I don't get back to the dorm soon." Tsuna sat back down, dropping his bag again.

"I didn't want to keep you for long anyway." Fon settled into the seat that had remained opposite Tsuna's desk and automatically reached out to clasp onto Tsuna's wrist once more, just a habit of needing to comfort the brunette.

"What was it that you wanted anyway?" Tsuna murmured softly, eyes drifting to Fon's hand before they lifted back to his eyes.

"How are you holding out, Tsuna?" Fon asked, second hand coming up to grasp onto Tsuna's fingers gently. "With this situation and how everything has suddenly changed for you?"

Tsuna felt his breath hitch in his throat as genuine distress rocked throughout his being and he lifted his hand not held by Fon's to hold onto the elder's shirt sleeve, sobs starting to break out of his chest. Fon immediately stood and scooted around the table, moving one hand away from Tsuna's wrist to rest on the back of his head, pulling him close so Tsuna's face against his front as he shushed him softly.

"I can't say I understand Tsuna, but I'm here for you. I want you to know that."

Tsuna's hand jerked away from Fon's sleeve so he could wrap his arm around the other, fingers tangling desperately in the back of his shirt as he shook violently. Fon let him stay that way until he calmed down five minutes later, letting the smaller male step away with a sniffle as Tsuna lifted his hand to wipe at his eyes, quietly trying to smooth out his breathing.

"Sorry Fon-senpai." Tsuna cleared his throat after speaking as he rubbed furtively at his cheeks with the heels of his palms. "Thank you for asking and for your concern. For now, I'm coping. I think what I'm worrying about most is being stuck in the same room as Rokudo-senpai and Hibari-senpai. The two don't seem to like each other very much..." Even Tsuna could hear that his lie had come out weak, but Fon didn't say anything about it, giving Tsuna a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure it'll eventually be okay, Tsuna. Like I said, I'm here for you. Others are as well, no matter how you feel about that. Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?"

Tsuna gave a curt shake of his head as he leant down to pick up his bag with faintly shaking fingers. Slinging the strap over his shoulder, he mumbled, "I'd like some time to myself to think, if that's okay Fon-senpai. I'll be fine walking by myself."

Fon nodded, walking Tsuna as far as the corridor before watching as the brunette waved at him before making his way down the hallway, eyes fixed on the windows whenever he passed them. Fon briefly wondered if Tsuna would really be okay walking back by himself and then debated hiding himself and following the younger teen. He decided against it eventually, trusting Tsuna to be fine and able to care for himself.

* * *

Tsuna didn't really pay attention to where his feet led him but he found himself in the courtyard after a handful of moments. He wandered over towards a bench and sat down on it, tilting his head back to stare at the clouds creeping across the sky in lazy motions.

With his eyes still cast upwards Tsuna tried to keep his thoughts as jumbled and as random as he possibly could, thinking of mundane things like the homework in his bag, or who would kill him first, Hibari or Mukuro now that the two people were in his bedroom.

Anything but about Tsunayoshi. He could already hear the soft, almost tantalising whispers in the back of his mind, promises and offers that he struggled to ignore.

He thought of the kindness Fon always showed him and the enthusiasm that Gokudera seemed to have when around him. When his thoughts drifted to Reborn he couldn't help but remember the previous night when his head and been on the elder's lap, a comforting hand drifting through his hair. Tsuna suddenly realised that that night was one of the first that he hadn't suffered through with a nightmare.

_Reborn kept them away. Useful for something at least._

'That must have been it. Reborn must have done some –' Tsuna stiffened and immediately started thinking of the properties of summoning circles and the common magickal creatures that were brought through with a summon, anything to drown out Tsunayoshi's voice again.

Tsuna hadn't done anything to deserve this. Sure, he wasn't a model student, and struggled with the simplest of tasks given to him, but he'd done nothing warranting a second personality. He'd had a standard childhood as far back as he could remember and then come to the school when he was ten at the insistence of his father, even while his mother was adamant that he shouldn't leave them.

_They let you go here for your safety, Tsuna. I won't let you know why, though. You shouldn't have to go through that again. _

Tsuna promptly moved to bite down on his thumb, desperately hoping that the pain would make it harder for Tsunayoshi to talk to him. He dug his teeth in until he could taste blood and his thumb was throbbing, but if anything, the voice improved in clarity.

_Don't be afraid of me Tsuna. I'm not here to cause you fear. I promise you._

Picking up his bag from where it was next to him on the bench, Tsuna abruptly stood. He hadn't realised that was someone had been stood opposite to him until he bumped into them and the sharp smell of coffee hit his nose.

Looking up with wide, panicked eyes, he noticed Hibari in front of him, dark coffee staining his white shirt and an empty styrofoam cup at his feet. Before Tsuna could move, Hibari's hand had shot forward and gripped onto the collar of his shirt so he could drag the brunette forward.

However, before Hibari could talk or exact punishment, Tsuna's head leaned back and then snapped forward, his forehead connecting with the bridge of Hibari's nose to a sickening crack. Words, not his own, were harshly bit out from between suddenly grit teeth, and Tsuna felt the icy prickle of dread slither down his spine at the cold tone that was most definitely not his own.

"_If you even dare to touch Tsuna again, I'll fucking kill you."_

Hibari had staggered back at the sudden hit, nose already gushing blood as he lifted his hand to stifle it. Tsuna wasted absolutely no time in apologising with a horror stricken voice before he ran for it out of terror for his wellbeing, and fright that if he stayed any longer he would lose control of his body to Tsunayoshi. Already he could feel curses bubbling up his throat and the urge to turn around and hit Hibari again getting stronger and stronger with every hurried step he took.

Even as his chest tightened in panic and his legs started to burn because of his frantic pace, Tsuna didn't slow down his running until he was by the Decimo building, hurriedly stumbling up the stairs and jogging down the corridor to his room, fingers digging frenetically in his pocket for the key to the door. He was too terrified to glance over his shoulder, to see if Hibari had even followed him in the first place.

His heart didn't stop pounding in his ears until he had managed to get the door open and slam it shut, back pressed against the dark wood as he sucked in deep breaths of air. The other members of the dorm had looked up from their various activities to look at him, first with curiosity and then worry.

Mukuro was in front of him before any of the other three, reaching to clasp a hand against the back of Tsuna's head, ready to push the brunette into a crouch as he asked, with his voice tight, "Is it another panic attack? Is that _blood_ on your forehead?"

"H-Hibari-senpai." Tsuna managed to choke out in his frenzied gasping of air, not noticing as Mukuro's eyebrow rose in interest while he continued speaking, "I – _he_ – headbutted H-Hibari-senpai's nose. I t-think the blood is from t-there but Hibari-senpai's going t-to kill me." He slowly sank down the door, Mukuro following him until they were both knelt opposite each other.

"I'm pretty sure Kyoya-kun won't kill you, Tsuna-chan." Mukuro said with more conviction than Tsuna could muster himself to feel.

"I spilled his c-coffee all over him and then headbutted h-him, he looked so _angry_ at me."

_Don't be so fearful of him, Tsuna._

"Don't you talk to me! This is mostly your fault anyway! If you hadn't headbutted him, maybe he wouldn't have been so _furious!" _Tsuna didn't give any care that he had retorted to that out loud, startling Mukuro and the others, who had by then approached to be hovering somewhat nearby, Tsuna's head jerking back to smack against the door as he shouted.

"Whoa, whoa Tsuna-chan." Mukuro grasped Tsuna's shoulders and pushed him against the door to stop him moving should he start thrashing again. "Calm down. Don't talk to Tsunayoshi-kun. Don't acknowledge him or he gets more power, right? Don't worry about Kyoya-kun, we can explain or keep him at bay."

"B-But – "

"But nothing Tsuna," Reborn broke in. "You are in no way at fault, so don't complain. Get dressed, clean your face and sit down with a glass of water or something. The more at peace you are the better."

"If you don't think you can get dressed, I'll help you Tsuna-chan. I'd be happy to assist you."

With Mukuro's lecherous reply, the tense atmosphere leaked away as Gokudera shouted, sounding indignant, "Rokudo you perverted bastard! Tenth, don't let him help you; anyone's better than he is!"

Tsuna forced a tired smile to cross his face. "Thank you for offering to help Rokudo-senpai, but I think I can get dressed easily enough by myself. I would rather you stayed out here..."

"Whatever you want, Tsuna-chan, but my offer still stands." Mukuro stood and then moved to grab Tsuna's wrist, tugging him to his feet as well and revelling Tsuna's stumble because it gave him the opportunity to wrap his arms around Tsuna to keep him steady. He let go soon enough, however, and it seemed just soon enough because Tsuna had stiffened in discomfort. Mukuro didn't want to get hit again as he had in the morning. Despite being small, Tsuna had power behind his hits that were no doubt fuelled by Tsunayoshi.

After a moment of standing still, staring at nothing in particular, Tsuna took in a deep, shuddering breath and walked to his room, loosening his tie and starting to undo the top buttons of his shirt as he did so. He had just started sliding the garment off of his shoulders by the time the bedroom door had closed behind him.

The room he had left was eerily quiet by the time the door had clicked shut, frowns marring the faces of the occupants within.

* * *

**I HAVE QUERIES ABOUT ENMA AND BYAKURAN. PLEASE GIVE FEEDBACK.**

Enma: About Enma, I understand that he has an Earth Flame. In the first chapter, I labelled all magick as 'Flames of the Sky'. Should Enma have a different type of Flame or should I incorporate it into the story in some way. For example, an Earth Flames and etc could be anomalies of magick (Earth being a mutation of Sky and so being labelled the opposite) and, up until now, Enma was homeschooled until Vongola Academy could support him and teach him for his magick type? Or that there was another, smaller Shimon Academy that was recently integrated into Vongola Academy? Please say.

Byakuran: For Byakuran, since I've said – again in the first chapter – that Giotto and Dino were the only know members with Sky Flames, and Byakuran himself has a Sky Flame, should he be a transfer of some sort (this would keep him close to Tsuna's age) or should it be his ten year later self and he can be a teacher of the school, keeping in mind that Tsuna's about sixteen in this story, so if Byakuran were a teacher, he'd be in his early twenties so the difference isn't too great.

So, that would be:

**Enma  
**Different Flame:**  
**Homeschooled because of magick anomaly:  
Shimon into Vongola:

**Byakuran  
**Transfer – Teenager (About seventeen):  
Teacher – Adult (Between twenty one to about twenty four):

Apart from those things, thank you everyone for your kind support. I sort of had a hectic week and I'm glad I could get it off of my chest. There weren't many people I could talk to about it and so I sort of vented it onto you lot. Sorry about that, but thanks again.

Just so you know, though it's probably obvious, the summary was changed from 'a schizophrenic' to 'has Multiple Personality Disorder'.

The past two days were pretty empty for me, since all the preparations for next week are already mostly done – I just have to wake up on Monday morning and go – so I decided to write this out while I still could and post it.

My working hours for next week are 9AM to 5PM which means that I'd get about three to five hours each day to write for the next chapter after this when I'm at home, depending on how quick I am at typing it. Sometimes I have lots of inspiration and can write over a couple thousand words in an hour, maybe longer. Sometimes this document will just sit on my computer with the cursor blinking mockingly at me as I try to transfer ideas in my brain onto Word...

Sorry for the babble and once again thank you to everyone for their support and hugs.

I give you all hugs back and many, many thanks for your concern!

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 11  
- Fon: 8  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 8  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 10  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 10  
Dino: 1  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 8  
- Squalo: 1  
Giotto: 6  
G: 0  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 5  
Daemon: 1  
Enma: 3  
Byakuran:  
- Interest/Good: 12  
- Antagonist/Bad:  
- Bit of Both: 7


	9. Chapter 9

**Guest **(Thank you very much and you are welcome!)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Well, Byakuran seems to be a transfer and Enma has turned out to be homeschooled (which gives great opportunities for me, you don't even understand lol) but I'm sorry the choices were hard for you.

I'm glad you like the chapter! With Tsuna being aware of him, I only hope I write their relationship out well and do it justice, that's my only real worry about them. Other than that, Tsuna finding out about him was mostly advancement of the plot haha.

The only treatment I can have is either a back brace to support my back, or to have surgery which means that a metal rod would be put in my back to keep my spine straight. My curve isn't that bad, so they want to wait until I'm older and when I've stopped growing to see if there's anything permanent they can do to deal with the pain. Other than that, I'm on painkillers and physiotherapy until something is sorted.

The manga sounds really interesting! I'll have to start reading it – maybe get ideas lmao! Thank you very much for the review)

**Soul Vrazy **(I have no idea what happened to Shouichi and Spanner. Should I include them? I'm not sure if they're common characters to be involved...

Flashbacks will come in parts – as you'll see here – and his parents will be involved eventually!

I'm not that confident with my ability to write something 'M' Rated and I think it'll take away from the story if I focus so much on that aspect of it. I think the main genre of this would be Hurt/Comfort rather than the Romance, though Romance is present.)

**Yin and Yang **(It would have been fun to make Byakuran a teacher – I didn't think of Enma, don't know why – but most people wanted him to be around the same age of Tsuna and so that's what he'll be. It'd be interesting to see how he deals with others that are more exuberant than most. And I'm sure he'd be happy for a hug lmao, if just to cope with the stress!)

** dus **(Yeah, the reason why I wrote it that way was because I thought that someone would react rather negatively if they learnt they had a violent personality and so I made him act that way. I'd be so confused over who was the real side and so he's having that dilemma too.

It is a little sad of how Tsuna treats Tsunayoshi, I feel bad when I make him freak out so much when Tsunayoshi only wants the best. There is something to do with his past but you'll find out in pieces like in this chapter!)

**xxxKimi-chan **(I was interning at a vet's yes, and it was really interesting. Very disgusting as well, though. I was allowed to sit in on operations and watch; it constantly made my stomach churn and flip lol. The good part of it is that I got over my queasiness and might be allowed to take home a stray cat! We had a cat but he got put down, so the house has been lonely without one. My mum thinks it'll help keep us happy if we have a kitty cat at home again!

I was stressing over Byakuran and Enma. People were asking and I was so confused over what I should do for them without contradicting earlier chapter's and completely confusing people or frustrating them because I can't keep consistency. Most people seemed to have wanted Enma homeschooled (and I hoped that too because I had an idea for it) and most want Byakuran as a transfer as well, so in the end nothing contradicts and I can stop stressing out who is who and who has what lmao.

Writing All27 is a little confusing at times, I have to remember who has had their time and who hasn't, and I notice that if I write for one character, I tend to sort of favourite them for the chapter. Reborn seems to be a constant, and I'm not sure if I should feel guilty for that ...Also, people have asked for characters and even I get them, I don't make them have romantic interaction because I worry more about developing the relationship first rather than rushing into it, if I'm understood...but I'm rambling and this is probably mostly useless info lol. Either way, I'm glad you think I'm doing good at balancing! It was something I was worried about!)

**XxHalfPrinceXx **(Most people seem to want that, so it'll most likely happen)

**SelfcreatedCharacter **(Haha, thank you for thinking it a good idea! I wanted something interesting, so I mixed a personality disorder in with the concept of magick (because I love stories with magic/magick in them) as it was something that appealed to me and I hoped it would appeal to others. About Mukuro, I've noticed that, but I've tried to keep him subtle. He likes to tease Tsuna, but won't act unless he knows the other is somewhat comfortable with it. Reborn is definitely everything you've labelled him lmao.

I haven't thought far enough ahead for a final pairing, but towards the end I think I have a simple way of eventually narrowing down the options.

Byakuran would most likely be a transfer student as most people like him that way. I can see why you'd be hesitant of Enma having an Earth Flame, but he's going to have as such because of people's votes. However, because he has an Earth Flame, I now have a way of advancing the plot so I suppose you could call it an arc.

Reborn was in this chapter, but only briefly in my opinion. Sorry!)

**Sasha **(It's an idea, but I'm not sure how they would've met to be friends – at least with Byakuran and Tsuna. You'll find something about Enma (just a little) in this chapter (by the end). Thank you for your opinion anyway and thank you for the review!)

**The Kyuubi maiden **(Don't worry! You aren't obligated to reply to every chapter if you don't want to, I'm just glad with the knowledge that you take the time to read this fic of mine!

I'm glad you still like my writing style and the way I convey things even though it's changed, that's a reassuring thought! And Tsunayoshi is a pretty violently jealous person lol. I'm not sure when or if Tsuna will ever get a cute side – it might happen though haha.

I tend to have down moments every now and then but I feel better now. Thanks for the concern!)

**Tujing **(I finally managed to get Enma in after worrying about him! Byakuran as a transfer seems to be a favourite for most people. I'm glad you like All27 and the hints with characters haha! Hopefully he'll get more confident in himself!)

**Mangopudding **(Its fine, I just managed to get them all in because it was ideal somewhat lmao. I found it a little funny when I made him headbutt Hibari. I couldn't help but make him do that lol. Byakuran as a transfer is the popular choice haha. Okay for the other characters!)

**Yuki-shi-chan **(Lol, thank you.)

**Cellphone-itis **(Thank you and okie dokie!)

**PockoChi **(Hope you didn't mind the wait! Enma seems to be homeschooled, and Byakuran a transfer!)

**Pokermaniac039 **(My first question is – is your profile pic of Harry Potter? Is it really? Anyway, okay for Enma and Byakuran!)

**Shanagi95 **(That's fine! And yeah, for the summary, a lot of people were getting confused so I changed it.)

**Taira-Keimei **(AH, I'm sorry, but I think Byakuran's come along as a transfer – most people wanted him that way. Enma has the Earth Flame though!)

**Mizuki06 **(Haha, I'll try and get more Xanxus in for you then!)

**Nytrokuzna **(Thank you very much!)

**PandoraMagic **(He just came across as that sort of personality lmao. Is it really written on his forehead?)

**Goldchild2 **(Okie dokie!)

**Wolf D. Dragon **(Enma is most likely to have an Earth Flame, sorry. Byakuran will be a teen though!)

**Maere Mara **(Enma is homeschooled, sorry, but Byakuran is a transfer! I'm glad you think it's interesting!)

**Narutopokefan **(Enma's chosen as homeschooled and Byakuran is a transfer, sorry Enma couldn't be your option! Hopefully Tsuna will get through it soon though!)

**Monogatari no Shiori **(Haha, thank you for liking my Mukuro! I was worried people wouldn't like him as the personality he is but no one seems to have complained about his attitude! I'm glad you like his MPD and the way I've portrayed him and all! Byakuran seems to be a transfer and Enma is homeschooled. Thank you for the concern over my physiotherapy lol.)

**Babydoll8901 **(Glad you do!)

**Chi-tanda **(Thank you very much! Sorry you don't like Flames of the Earth but it seems Enma is going to have it. Byakuran is going to be a transfer student however! Here's an update!)

**Naruta13 **(The reason I put 'has a Multiple Personality Disorder' instead of 'has Multiple Personality Disorder' is because if I put it like the second version, it makes me feel as if I have to put an 's' on the end of Disorder otherwise it wouldn't look right. Then it would end up being 'has Multiple Personality Disorders'. With the way it is, it labels him as having one disorder and that it's of the multiple personality type, similar to DID. It's just the way I've been taught grammar, sorry if it annoys you, but it might have to stay that way. Sorry again. I don't like disappointing people, but I hope my explanation is good enough...)

**Disclaimer: **I don't Katekyo Hitman Reborn

_Once again ITALICS are parts of the past!_

**Chapter Nine – In Bits and Pieces**

"_Iemitsu, you cannot expect – "_

"_Now Nana, I know what I'm – "_

"_To send him away after – "_

_They were arguing about him again. He could hear them from his place sat on the stairs, knees pulled to his chest as he peered through the gap of the banister. He could just about see his father's blonde head shaking._

"_Iemitsu, I can't believe – "_

"_I want what's best for him. We both – "_

"_How can you think – "_

_It hurt, that they were shouting at each other because of him. Listlessly, Tsuna picked at the bandages wrapped around his wrist, nail sliding under the edge of it absently. He had bandages around his arms, his torso and his stomach, as well as stitching across his forehead and several other places. The most noticeable stitching was against his front, stretching from shoulder to hip. He tugged absently at the bandage around his wrist, because of how tight and itchy it was._

Leave it alone, Tsuna. Wait until you get better.

_Tsuna listened as he let his hand drop away from his arm. The voice always knew what it was talking about, so he always listened. By this point, his parents' shouting had died down into a mumble of words that he couldn't hear from the distance he was at._

It doesn't matter what they talk about. I'll always be here for you regardless.

_Tsuna felt the heaviness of his limbs and the droopiness of his eyelids soon after that signalled his losing of control to the voice and mumbled, "Where are we going Tsunayoshi?"_

I'm taking you to bed so you can rest.

_Blinking slowly, Tsuna let his eyes fall completely shut as exhaustion won out and he started to drift off into unawareness, briefly slumping against the banister. When his eyes opened again, they were glowing orange in the dim lighting, shining with a malevolence and dark intelligence that wasn't his own._

_Tsunayoshi stood from his huddled position, with a terrifyingly blank expression on his childish face aside from his expressive eyes. Instead of taking their body to bed, as he had said he would, he started walking downstairs, following the voices of Tsuna's parents that were still faintly mumbling._

_He would show them what they deserved for worrying Tsuna to such an extent._

* * *

Tsuna rest his elbows on the windowsill, staring out of the glass at the school, jaw settled on his palm. His thoughts were jumbled and confused. Tsunayoshi was being completely silent, and Tsuna could feel himself relaxing as his eyes inched upwards towards the sky.

"You have a thing for the sky, huh?" Reborn's voice sounded softly from behind him. Tsuna didn't flinch, having heard him open the door and walk in just a few moments before. Reborn carried on talking, not yet waiting for a reply. "Rokudo and Gokudera have managed to distract Hibari to some degree. He'll probably forget about your headbutting him, especially with that Mist user involved."

"It was Tsunayoshi that headbutted him," Tsuna replied mildly, leaning heavier against the windowsill. There was a stirring in his mind as he said the name, but it settled back down. If Tsuna was right in what he thought, then Tsunayoshi seemed almost too exhausted to respond properly.

"That it was." Reborn moved to stand next to him, leaning by the window as well, though his eyes were cast to the side, so he could keep an eye on Tsuna as he asked, "So the sky. Why is that?"

"No particular reason." Tsuna shifted his weight to the side to look at Reborn, tilted so he was facing the elder. "You offered last week to be my tutor. Is that still standing?"

"What made you change your mind?" Reborn asked in return before the thought of accepting or agreeing even crossed his mind. He mentally cursed himself out in case it scared Tsuna from answering the question and giving up on having a tutor.

Tsuna fell silent for a long moment and Reborn worried that he'd ruined it. Then, Tsuna decided to reply, eyes meeting Reborn's as he spoke purposefully and slowly, thinking of his words.

"Tsunayoshi comes out when I'm in danger...I know I can use my magick by myself...so if I had you as a tutor, or even someone else like Giotto-senpai because our Flames are similar, then I could defend myself. If I'm not in danger because I can fight back, Tsunayoshi won't come out, right?"

_It hurts you want to be rid of me. Don't worry, even if you can look after yourself, I still won't leave you._

Reborn ignored the twitch Tsuna gave, having a pretty good guess what caused it as he speculated Tsuna's idea, not really finding any fault with it.

"Sounds like a good idea. Dame-Tsuna, I'll be your tutor. No need to drag anyone else into it, just myself will be fine."

"Do you understand Sky Flames? Because if you don't, then I'll ask Giotto-senpai to help me in that aspect..." Tsuna furrowed his brow as he glanced back out of the window. "It'll help me in the long run, right? If you're Sun attribute, then you can't teach me that effectively."

"Just because I've accepted doesn't mean Giotto will. He's part of the Student Council, he isn't always available."

"Oh. That's true. Well, so long as I have someone teaching me _something_ I should be fine. I've never really learnt because my magick scared me. The use of it, the feel of it, the reason of it..." Tsuna trailed off, pursing his lips absently as his thoughts wandered, broken images flickering in and out of his mind at irregular intervals. Tsuna had the odd feeling that Tsunayoshi was hiding something from him and that was why he was tired.

The whisper of a voice started in his head and Tsuna tried his best to squash it down. He only realised he'd been staring at the sky when Reborn shook his shoulder gently to get his attention. Jumping gently, Tsuna ended up elbowing Reborn in the gut, though all that happened was the elder let out a breath of air in a soft huff.

Apologising with a wince, Tsuna mumbled, "Sorry. You startled me."

"Really? I thought it was Tsunayoshi hitting me."

"N-No, just me being startled."

"Well, isn't that a start? That you hit me of you own volition and not of his?"

Tsuna felt a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and then murmured, "I suppose that's right, Reborn-senpai. It doesn't mean he isn't there, though. I can feel him, listening to us. He doesn't want you to tutor me."

_You've got that right. I don't want him involved with us._

Jerking gently and trying to shove down his feeling of imminent panic, Tsuna turned to face the window again, watching the sky. Clouds had started to gather, and it looked as if it might start raining or storming at some point.

"It doesn't surprise me. Tsunayoshi," Reborn suddenly barked, addressing the other personality and Tsuna jumped, twisting towards Reborn again, confusion clear on his expression. It was hard to stay focused, however, with Tsunayoshi battering violently at his control in an attempt to attack Reborn, if only for a handful of moments because of how much the elder infuriated him

Tsuna could tell that the other personality was listening with rapt attention, though he wasn't sure why Tsunayoshi was concentrating so much until he felt his mouth move and Tsuna harshly asked Reborn, against his will.

"What?"

Reborn let a smirk lift up the corner of his mouth as he answered.

"Tsunayoshi. Tsuna will be learning to defend himself and use _his_ magick – not yours – so there will be no need for you any longer. Just thought it would be fair to warn you. It may have given you more presence to have Tsuna know of you, but now he does have knowledge of your existence, he knows what signs to look for to prevent you from taking over." Still smirking, Reborn leaned in closer to Tsuna. "I know you can hear me."

"He's so angry at you," Tsuna whispered, voice strained slightly. "Do you even realise how much? He wouldn't even use his magick to kill you. Apparently you don't deserve that."

"Not his magick Tsuna. It's _yours."_

"Doesn't change his feelings for you."

"Then I'm honoured to be so loathed." Reborn snorted. "I'll start tutoring you tomorrow after school, how does that sound? I think an acquaintance of mine will have to be there to prevent anything from getting out of hand should Tsunayoshi make an appearance for any reason."

Tsuna perked up slightly, eyes widening and curiosity shining on his expression along with hope as he asked, "Fon-senpai?"

Reborn firmly told himself that what he was feeling wasn't jealousy as he replied, without even a hitch in his voice to reveal his inner turmoil, "No. I'm going to try and get Colonello to come along. His Flame type is Rain – tranquillity. Hypothetically, he should be able to calm you down if worse comes to worse."

"So that would be Colonello-senpai to me, huh? If it is a Rain Flame you need, then why not Yamamoto-san?"

"Yamamoto would be busy with sports. Not everyone can fit around you Dame-Tsuna." Reborn misjudged Tsuna's control of Tsunayoshi when he flicked the brunette in the forehead and immediately had his hand grabbed and his arm twisted painfully until Tsuna regained control of his actions and let go with a slightly hysterical apology.

"Sorry," Tsuna swallowed slowly, taking in a deep breath. "But if it comes down to calming, I think Fon-senpai should be there instead anyway. Tsunayoshi respects him to a degree and won't hurt him if it goes bad, right? If there were a stranger there, then he might really hurt this Colonello-senpai..."

"If Colonello gets hurt then he deserves it Tsuna. Believe me." Reborn moved much slower this time as he patted his hand onto Tsuna's shoulder. The brunette didn't react violently to the action as Reborn continued, saying, "But, if you would be more comfortable with Fon there, then he can be there."

Tsuna nodded before he sighed heavily, raking a hand through his hair. "I suppose I should see if Hibari-senpai is angry with me." Tsunayoshi clawed angrily from inside of him and he winced.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure out of myself and the others in that room, if anything gets out of hand, then we can stop Tsunayoshi."

"I'm just dreading the day when that isn't the case and I wake up on top of a pile of bodies, Reborn." Tsuna gave him a smile that resembled a tired grimace before he walked to the door and eased it open gracefully, bracing himself for any sort of imminent attack from Hibari.

* * *

Tsuna collapsed onto his back, arms crossed over his face as he tried to catch his breath. He'd climbed onto the roof from his bedroom window and, considering the roof was sloped and not flat, and the only way to get there was the shimmy up a slim pipe while finding precarious foot and handholds, this wasn't an easy task.

Just lying there, Tsuna let his mind wander as his arms slid away from his face so he could stare up at the sky. Being on the roof gave Tsuna time by himself that he normally couldn't have anymore with all the people now crowding into his dorm. He ignored Tsunayoshi's dry suggestion of permanently getting rid of them all, one by one and in the most violent ways possible.

Briefly entertaining the thought of trying to have a decent conversation somehow with the personality inside of him, Tsuna was startled by a nearby rumble of thunder. The clouds that had been gathering during his talk with Reborn had grown darker in colour and Tsuna wondered if he would get soaked with rain should it start.

Another rumble of thunder later and the rain was pouring down in sheets, soaking Tsuna to the bone in mere seconds. Tsuna sighed and peeled a wet strand of hair away from his face, deciding that instead of trying to get out of the downpour, he would stay where he was, so he wouldn't slip and kill himself when he fell off the roof. It wasn't a moment of _if_ but _when_ he would fall should he attempt standing on the wet roof tiles.

Unfortunately that meant he was trapped with nothing but his own thoughts and Tsunayoshi to keep him company. That wasn't a comforting feeling at all. Slowly, Tsuna moved to sit up, hugging his knees to his chest as he narrowed his eyes against the rain hitting him, watching the ground far below through water blurred vision and wondering how long he would be stuck on the roof for.

_Will you let me help you, Tsuna?_

Tsuna started counting back from one hundred loudly and deliberately in his head, trying to forget that he'd even heard anything from Tsunayoshi. His heart had started palpitating as fear jumped through his veins. However, nothing could drown out Tsunayoshi's whispered words.

_You can keep your mind and consciousness. I just need to borrow your body and I'll help you get off the roof._

Curiosity sank its teeth deeply into Tsuna and he slowly relaxed, wondering what Tsunayoshi could mean. In silent response, his right arm jerked away from his knees and lit up in Flames. Tsuna stared at it in muted horror, though nothing more happened than his limb sizzling when the drops of rain hit it.

_If you calm down, it won't take more than a few seconds for me to get you down and then give you control back, Tsuna._

Tentatively, Tsuna asked out loud, wide eyes still on his lifted arm, "How do I know you'll give me my body back?"

His response was such a violent feeling of indignation and offence that he flinched, almost slipping from his precarious position, had his right arm, still not owned by him, slammed down onto the roof, fingers digging into and under tiles to keep him rooted firmly in place.

_I'm not here to hurt you Tsuna. Only help._

Tsunayoshi sounded almost disgusted at the thought of hurting Tsuna and the brunette wondered if he should apologise. He didn't say sorry out loud, but he sensed Tsunayoshi's heartfelt thanks anyway, lips twisting slightly in a grimace because of how in tune they were with each other. It was a little creepy.

Blinking water away from his eyelashes, Tsuna finally dared to murmur, "If you can get me down, then please, get me down. But promise me you – "

_I'll get you down and rest assured, I'll give you control of your body back.._

Before the last of the words had faded from his mind, Tsuna felt his body go limp for a long and heart stopping moment. A handful of seconds later and his left hand snapped out to rest against the tiles next to him as his Flames suddenly flared. With both of his hands pressed against the roof, the sudden explosion of Sky magick launched Tsuna forward and off of the roof. He couldn't find his voice to scream.

Tsuna hurtled towards the floor before his body flipped around midair and his arms manoeuvred themselves so his Flames would slow his descent. It didn't stop him from slamming into a poor, unsuspecting person who was running across the courtyard.

Feeling rushed back into his limbs and Tsuna jerked himself to sit, gasping through his residue fear and rubbing his hands on his thighs before it clicked that he had just crashed headlong into a stranger and he froze, eyes skirting away from his white knuckles clenched with his terror, and across the body he was currently straddling.

"My, my, what a welcome," a smooth voice purred out and Tsuna flinched gently as slim fingers pushed his wet hair from his face. Almost immediately afterwards a blush started to burn his cheeks and he made a move to get to his feet when hands clamped onto his waist, keeping him firmly sat on top of whoever it was.

Tsuna took a brief moment to look at the face of the person who had caught him and who he himself had inadvertently and accidentally attacked. They had white hair that was flattened down by the rain, and eyes that were just as startling a colour, being lilac. The most noticeable aspect was the tattoo that stood out starkly against pale skin underneath the person's eyes.

He only realised he had been staring when the person smirked, displaying perfect teeth as he murmured, "My, aren't you a cute one? Do you happen to like what you see?"

Tsuna started thrashing then, scrambling to get off of the stranger and to his feet. Despite Tsunayoshi having given him control again, he still had faint numbness to his limbs. His other personality was seething in his mind at the attitude of the person below him.

Finally stood on his feet, Tsuna felt at least obligated to offer a hand in help as he mumbled, "Sorry for colliding with you...?" he trailed off, hoping to get an answer, vehemently trying to ignore Tsunayoshi in favour of the person he'd knocked off of their feet at breakneck speeds.

"Oh, it's no worries at all." The white haired male drawled, taking Tsuna's hand even though he barely used the brunette's timid hold to stand. "I'm Byakuran. You are?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna ducked his head in greeting and tried to free his hand from Byakuran's suddenly vice like grip on his fingers. He shivered a little as drops of rain hit the back of his neck and he promptly straightened again, just to see Byakuran's face close to his own, a fox like grin stretching the other's face.

Vivid imagery of his headbutting Hibari suddenly shot through Tsuna's mind and he concluded that Tsunayoshi wanted to do the same to Byakuran. Swallowing slowly, he forced the pictures in his head away, lifting his free hand to clasp onto the wrist of the captured limb as he felt his magick start to well. It wouldn't be good if he burnt a complete stranger.

"It's nice to meet you, Sawada-san." Byakuran pulled Tsuna's hand to his mouth, the foxy grin still in place even as he pressed a chaste kiss to the smaller male's knuckles. Leaning closer, Byakuran spoke slowly and almost suggestively into Tsuna's ear.

"I hope we can be _very_ good friends."

Tsuna turned his head and violently sank his teeth into Byakuran's ear that had come close to his face. The white haired male yelped and jerked away and Tsuna felt his cheeks burn in mortification as he tasted the tang of blood on his lips, aghast as he realised he still couldn't control all of his actions.

Bending ninety degrees at the waist, Tsuna all but shouted an apology that was mostly garbled gibberish as he quickly span on his heel and ran back to the Decimo building, trying not to slip on any puddles because the floor was slick with the still pouring rain.

He slammed into the door and ended up tripping, sprawled out in the lobby of the dorm and ignoring the sniggering and whispering as he shivered, clothes stuck to his skin. Slowly, he pushed to his feet and, dripping water, he started a leisurely walk up the stairs, not wanting his breathing to be rushed or his face to flushed, otherwise he'd be questioned by his roommates.

Tsunayoshi unhelpfully suggested that he kill them and be done with it. Tsuna drowned that particular thought out and hoped it died a nasty death.

Reaching his room, Tsuna realised that he'd forgotten his keys and, with reluctance, tapped on the door with his knuckles very lightly, hoping he actually wouldn't be heard so he could escape while he still could. At least if he'd had his key, he might have been able to sneak in without anyone being aware – no matter how slim the chance.

He was also terrified that it would be Hibari answering the door.

As luck – and a little misfortune – would have it, Gokudera answered the door, wrenching it open with a curt, "What?" before panicking as he realised the state Tsuna was in, gripping his upper arm and dragging him into the room, even as Tsuna dripped water on the carpet.

"Where were you Tenth? How did you get outside; you were in your bedroom! Did _Tsunayoshi_ happen?" Gokudera hissed the name as if it were some sort of taboo and Tsuna felt deep set amusement radiating within him from Tsunayoshi.

Tsuna slowly shook his head, water dribbling down his face and getting stuck in his eyelashes.

"It had nothing to do with Tsunayoshi. I climbed out of the bedroom window and went onto the roof and soon enough it started raining. From there, I suppose something did happen as a result of Tsunayoshi..."

"Climbing onto the roof is a direct violation of the Academy's Regulations, Sawada-san."

Tsuna's eyes darted past Gokudera and he flinched at realising Alaude and Giotto were sat on the couch the room had to offer. He'd moved his hands to curl near his throat protectively and in what could perceived as a submissive sort of movement, because Tsunayoshi was reeling from anger at Alaude's thinly veiled threat.

"We aren't in school time, Alaude, don't scare the boy," Giotto chastised before he smiled soothingly at Tsuna. "What happened because of Tsunayoshi?"

"I fell off the roof –" Tsuna's voice was drowned out by the general panic of the occupants of the room, Giotto jerking to his feet with worry on his face as Gokudera moved to grip his shoulders. Mukuro's head had appeared from around the doorway that led to the shared bedroom since even he had heard and was worried of what Tsuna had said.

"Tenth? Are you hurt? How bad is it?"

"N-No, I'm not hurt. Tsunayoshi took over and propelled me off of the roof. My landing m-might've been smooth, but I slammed h-headfirst into someone called Byakuran..." Tsuna blinked a few times and before he could get a reply, jerked forward with a sneeze, headbutting Gokudera's chin in the process and wincing at the sharp pain that followed.

"Let him get into dry clothes first, Gokudera-san," Giotto advised as he walked over, watching with a half smile half grimace on his face as Tsuna moaned exaggeratedly in pain, hands clasped over his face.

"Yes, let me get into dry clothes Gokudera-kun," Tsuna added on, should Gokudera disagree with Giotto, and the other wasted no time in guiding Tsuna towards his bedroom, elbowing past Mukuro and declaring that he was present should Tsuna need help before dragging the Mist user out of the room when he noticed the appraising look Mukuro had given the brunette at realising Tsuna's shirt was stuck firmly to his skin, showing off his lithe build and shape.

* * *

"So Tsunayoshi briefly took your body and shoved you off the roof, slowing your descent with the Flames then?" Giotto asked Tsuna who was curled upon the armchair, wrapped in several layers of clothes and nursing a warm mug of hot chocolate.

Tsuna nodded, taking a sip of his drink and letting out a happy sigh at the heat that travelled through his body because of the liquid. Moving the mug towards his lap, hands still wrapped around it, he murmured, "The only thing is though; I crashed into a person called Byakuran. I've never seen him before, and for the speed and force i hit him with, he didn't seem that hurt or startled."

"But Tsunayoshi gave you control of your body back easy enough?" Giotto prodded gently, trying to make sure he knew everything he might need to know.

Giving another curt nod, Tsuna mumbled, "He gave me control as soon as we hit Byakuran. Most of it, at any rate. When Byakuran came too close, Tsunayoshi bit his ear hard enough to draw blood."

"Bit his _ear?_ How close was this creep, Tenth?" Gokudera asked, sounded infuriated, and Tsuna promptly blushed, tucking his legs up underneath him and staring into his drink.

"He put his mouth right up against my ear to talk to me. He kissed my knuckles as well, and Tsunayoshi got very angry when he came too close." Tsuna shuffled his weight, still feeling uncomfortable whenever he had the mention to other personality. He really didn't want to acknowledge that Tsunayoshi was actually there. He wanted this all to a dream or a figment, no matter how vivid, of his imagination. If he was lucky – or unlucky – maybe he was still sleeping unconscious from that attack 1-E the week before!

_Not likely Tsuna. I'm sorry._

Tsuna leaned forward quickly and placed his mug onto the table almost harshly, hot chocolate sloshing over the rim. He barely registered the scald it caused against the skin of his fingers as he curled himself back into the armchair again, trying to ignore the looks he was being given by the others because of his prompt and unprovoked movement.

"Enough about me," Tsuna finally said into the silence. "How come you and Alaude-senpai are here, Giotto-senpai?"

"To see how you were," Giotto replied easily and quickly. "Because you ran out the other day, I was concerned as to your wellbeing and didn't manage to see you. I don't know why Alaude came along."

Alaude took a sip from his own mug containing tea and simply murmured, "Destruction follows you, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm only here to make sure you don't make a mess."

Giotto frowned, turning to his companion. "Alaude, that was – "

"_How fucking dare you!"_ Tsunayoshi screeched it at him, sitting forward in the armchair even as he trembled, struggling to take full control of the body now that Tsuna was learning how to fight against him. _"Take that back; it's not as if Tsuna means it!"_

The mug in Alaude's hands blew apart as Tsunayoshi's magick spiked and overflowed into the room, spilling hot tea onto his front and lap to his hiss of pain as he narrowed his eyes at Tsunayoshi. Even the mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table had shattered, drenching the dark wood.

Tsunayoshi started twitching erratically, eyes changing colours from his orange to Tsuna's brown between each slow blink. Soon enough, however, the orange receded and Tsuna relaxed his body into the armchair as he regained control of all of his functions. His breathing was harsh and his throat felt dry as if he hadn't had anything to drink for a long time.

Despite this though, Tsuna felt a deep sense of accomplishment even as the panic attack hit full force and he collapsed out of the chair and onto the floor between the table and his seat. He was gasping for air even as the smile that stretched his mouth wide hurt his cheeks. Dimly, he registered hands on his back and holding his hair from his face as he jerked and then retched without anything coming up.

Tsunayoshi was suddenly acting very submissive, apologising in furtive murmurs and whimpers, the presence of him retreating further back into his mind until all Tsuna could feel of him was but a mere whisper of pressure at the base of his skull.

Tsuna didn't like the guilt that clogged his throat when he heard the mumbled promises that all Tsunayoshi had been trying to do was help him. That Tsunayoshi didn't like it when Tsuna was treated badly and was trying to protect the other.

Blinking rapidly, Tsuna lifted his head when his vision had cleared from the blurriness that had been caused as a result of his attack, realising that Gokudera was inches from his face, hands cradling his head and keeping his hair pinned back under slim fingers. There was a warm, large hand on his back as well and Tsuna tried to turn his head to peer at whoever it was.

At seeing a shocked Giotto frozen halfway in his seat and halfway standing, Tsuna realised that Alaude was the one rubbing his back in an attempt at help. Tsuna didn't know whether he should be scared or if he should thank the senior.

Alaude decided to startle him.

"I apologise for what I said, Sawada Tsunayoshi. It was...wrongful, what I accused you of. It is true that you don't mean for what happens to happen."

Tsuna could only gape as Alaude continued rubbing gentle motions against his back and only stopped when Gokudera pulled him to his feet, fussing over him and generally having a sort of panic himself. Only when Tsuna was back on his feet did Gokudera breathe a sigh of relief, almost hugging Tsuna before he caught himself.

"Are you okay now?" Giotto finally asked, moving to Tsuna's side and pressing his fingertips to the brunette's shoulder, earning himself a timid sort of nod.

"Yes...Tsunayoshi just didn't take kindly to Alaude-senpai's words. I wasn't expecting him to push so violently against me; I'm sorry." His voice petered out in a weak whisper by the end and Giotto placed his hand fully on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly. It did nothing to relieve the sickening ache in Tsuna's stomach that came as a result of knowing he couldn't even control his own body. He was starting to feel a panic attack starting, but pushed it away with deep steadying breaths, focusing on the feel of Giotto's hand to his shoulder.

"There's no need to say sorry. It wasn't your fault at all." Giotto patted his shoulder. "This is something beyond your control."

There was something bitter tasting at the back of Tsuna's throat the he couldn't dislodge because of the sincerity of Giotto's expression and the warmness of his eyes. He couldn't look at the other for more than a handful of moments before he turned his head to the side.

"It's late. Thank you for visiting, Giotto-senpai, Alaude-senpai, but could you perhaps leave now? I'm tired. Moments like before exhaust me and, considering what happened on the roof, I feel dead on my feet."

Giotto gave another honest smile, nodding his head as he murmured, "That's fine. Alaude and I can go; I just wanted to see how you were." He walked towards the door, gesturing towards Alaude.

Alaude approached Tsuna, making him cringe a little in on himself, though all the elder teen did was rest a hand on his hair, staring down at him. Eventually, he spoke and said, "Kyoya won't bother you. Do not worry."

Tsuna stared up at him, stricken like a deer caught in headlights, and didn't breathe again until the prefect had moved away to Giotto's side before the two left. As soon as the door had shut, Gokudera wasted no time in herding Tsuna towards the bedroom door, encouraging him to go for a sleep.

"Do you know if Reborn is here?" Tsuna asked quietly, rubbing his knuckle against his eye and Gokudera paused in thought.

"He went out. I think he should be back soon. Why do you ask, Tenth?"

"When he's back, could you send him in? There's something he does that makes it easier for me to sleep, I was wondering if he could do it again so I could rest better tonight."

Gokudera nodded enthusiastically; glad he could help in any way he could.

* * *

"_I thought he was better – "_

"_These issues are delicate Sawada-san – "_

"_We understand – "_

"_Oh, Iemitsu, will Tsu-kun ever – "_

_If they weren't arguing about him, then they were talking about him. What was even worse was that they had brought _strangers_ over to talk about him. Ever since Tsunayoshi's 'stunt' two nights before, Tsuna was being given guarded looks and wary touches, as if his parents were afraid he would scratch them or hurt them._

_It twisted Tsuna's gut and made tears burn behind his eyes while his throat closed up when they flinched away from him before apologising in hushed tones and acting as if nothing had happened. It hurt him. It frustrated him. _

_Whereas before he would find solace in Tsunayoshi, he couldn't any more. He couldn't trust the voice in his head. Tsunayoshi did something he wouldn't tell him and that was wrong. Very wrong. The two had promised they wouldn't keep secrets. Pinky swore on it. Mentally, that is._

_Either way, Tsuna didn't even have Tsunayoshi to soothe him and keep him safe from his brittle heart and mind breaking under the stress he was being forced under because of his parents' attitude._

_While he sniffled and sobbed into his folded arms, curled up on the landing on top of the stairs, Tsuna heard his mother, Sawada Nana call up to him in calm tones from the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him with concern in her large eyes._

_Tsuna scrambled to his feet, stumbling down the stairs and reaching his arm towards Nana. He was too big to be picked up now, nearly ten, but his mother still wrapped her arms securely around him when he reached her, hugging his skinny body to her front, kneeling down to reach him better._

"_There are some people who want to see you. Do you want to meet them, Tsu-kun?" Nana asked, looking imploring into his eyes. Tsuna felt himself nodding before he had even really registered the words._

_Anything to have his Mama love him again without being afraid of him. Even if it did mean meeting with some strangers._

"_Good boy, Tsu-kun." Nana straightened and took Tsuna's small hand in his own, pulling him towards the lounge where faint voices still emanated._

"_They're friends of Mama and Papa. There's Timoteo-san and Bouche-san, okay? Be a good boy and remember your manners."_

_Tsuna could hear how Nana's voice was going a little on the pitched side as it tended to do when she was worried or lying, though he didn't call her out on it, following her into the large family room._

_He barely heard Tsunayoshi's scream of warning in his head before the Indigo Flames slammed into him with enough force for his body to crumple to the floor, the young boy quickly falling unconscious._

* * *

Tsuna blinked his eyes open and this time, instead of Mukuro tucked up in his bed, Hibari was leaning over him, ominously close. Hibari stared at him closely before narrowing his eyes and walking away. Tsuna didn't dare relax until Hibari proceeded to leave the room in his immaculately clean navy pajamas, his school uniform folded neatly over his arm.

When the door clicked shut, Tsuna swung his legs out of the bed he was in and stood slowly, feeling well rested. It took him a moment to notice that Reborn's fedora was resting on the bedside table and Tsuna realised that he felt as if he had slept well because he _had_ slept well, due to Reborn's help again. He couldn't help but think that such a deep sleep had stopped him from seeing something, however, since blurry pictures, perhaps the remnants of a dream he couldn't remember, were drifting through his mind

Before he could focus on anything he was seeing, Tsunayoshi was prompt in snatching the images away and tucking them into an obscure corner that Tsuna couldn't reach. Tsuna decided whatever the pictures were; they weren't really worth it, even if one did vaguely resemble his mother. They were probably memories of his younger years.

Sighing through his nose, Tsuna began his normal morning routine of getting dressed and soon enough he was sat in the living room with a bowl of rice on his lap, picking at it listlessly. Reborn, who was sat next to him, was fiddling with his tie, since he had declared that Tsuna hadn't tied it right.

"You really are Dame-Tsuna, if you can't even dress yourself properly."

Tsuna gave a grunt as a reply, stuffing his cheeks full of rice with his chopsticks, trying to use the excuse of eating so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone. He'd already returned Reborn's hat and, once again, was subject to Hibari's stare, since the prefect was sat perfectly opposite him as he ate his own meal.

Gokudera was in the kitchen and Yamamoto had yet to drag himself out of bed as far as Tsuna knew.

Mukuro's whereabouts were a mystery, though Tsuna's musing of where he could be were answered when the illusionist dragged himself through the doorway, looking thoroughly drained and exhausted. He stumbled through the room and collapsed onto the couch on Tsuna's other side, letting his head thump to the brunette's shoulder.

"Rokudo-senpai," Tsuna began politely, "Your head is on my shoulder."

"I am well aware of that Tsuna-chan. However, I've been up all night, I'm tired, and you, my dear boy, are the only one not likely to attack me for leaning on you."

"How come you've been up?" Tsuna asked curiously, wiping rice off of his mouth and licking the grains from his fingertips. He hadn't noticed Hibari's gaze sharpening at his actions when his tongue darted out to clean his fingers.

"A girl, Dokuro Chrome-chan had an accident yesterday evening with her classmates who were foolishly messing with Storm Flames. Most of her internal organs were disintegrated; Daemon and I had to recreate them with illusions to ensure she survived. She needs to wait until a rotation can be agreed so Sun Flame users can begin rebuilding her."

"That sounds horrible." Tsuna winced, before offering Mukuro the rest of his rice, since he himself had barely touched it apart from the first mouthfuls to avoid talking, not being that hungry. Mukuro yanked it out of his hands and ate it as quickly as he could without choking or making that much of a mess, before he set the bowl on the table and tucked himself against Tsuna's side again, the brunette shifting with a faint blush, looking a little uncomfortable.

"She'll be fine. We got there in time."

"Well done, Rokudo-senpai. I'm sure she'll be grateful to you. Now, if you could please get off? I need to get ready to go to school."

Mukuro reluctantly lifted his head from Tsuna's shoulder and slumped into the back of the couch as the smaller male called through to the kitchen.

"Gokudera-kun? Is Yamamoto-kun awake, or should I get him?"

"The baseball idiot left earlier this morning, Tenth! He had a sport's meeting," Gokudera replied, leaning out of the kitchen so he could meet Tsuna's eyes when they spoke.

"Ah." Tsuna nodded in understanding. "Then, are you ready to go? So we can walk together. I mean, o-only if you want! You don't have to walk with me, you aren't obligated to, I me –"

"It would be a great honour Tenth! Just let me get my bag!"

* * *

Tsuna settled behind his desk, leaning his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his palm as he stared at the front of the class, waiting for the rest of the class and the teacher to arrive for homeroom and registration.

Tsunayoshi was being oddly quiet today, even with everyone's forward actions, and Tsuna didn't know if he should be thankful or worried. Regardless, if anything happened, Reborn had supplied him with a small yellow gem that was securely in his pocket, infused with the black haired male's Sun Flames, so Tsuna could heal himself or use it as support during a panic attack if need be.

His free hand, not supporting his head, was currently in his pocket, so he could roll the pebble shaped object between his fingers and thumb because he had nothing better to do. He could feel the magick in it tingle against his fingertips, tiny jolts that he sometimes felt all the way up to his elbow. It mostly tickled rather than hurting or causing discomfort. Tsuna was honestly finding it hard not to giggle.

"Gokudera-kun..." Tsuna twisted in his seat to face Gokudera who was at the desk behind him. "Where is Yamamoto-kun?"

"Since he has baseball, he normally isn't here until the first lesson. He doesn't need to be at homeroom. Lucky, if you ask me. This is a useless time of day in my opinion, Tenth."

"I rather quite like it. You don't get rushed straight into lessons, and we have time to talk like this. It's also a sort of cushion of time so you aren't late for lessons, right?"

Gokudera pondered that for a moment before nodding his head. "I suppose you're right Tenth. I-I mean you're right _all_ the time, not just then!"

Before Tsuna could reply to that, the teacher walked into the room, clearing his throat loudly to gain the attention of the class. Tsuna turned around so he was facing the front again, sitting straight in his chair as he watched the teacher.

"We have a new student today. He's here for his own circumstances. Come in." The teacher walked towards the door of the classroom, tugging it open and letting the teen walk in.

Tsuna stiffened in his seat as the sight of the new student sent his mind running overtime. It was like déjà vu that he was seeing this person and his fingers were digging into the desk because of how tense he was.

"I'm Kozato Enma." Enma was very soft spoken, his voice timid and quiet. He was short and on the skinny side, though these weren't the most prominent of his features. What was most eye catching, was the red hair and red eyes, with distinctly odd shaped pupils.

He was so familiar to Tsuna that it hurt.

"I've just come here to Vongola Academy and..."

Their eyes met across the gap of the classroom and both tensed. Enma broke the tension between the two of them first, voice a little louder, incredulous and hopeful at the same time.

"Tsuna-kun?"

Tsuna lost consciousness and control to Tsunayoshi between one heartbeat and the next.

* * *

Just so you know...this chapter is a whole _thousand _words longer than the previous eight. So, that's 7000 words of story instead of around 6000.

I spent the last week spending my time watching dogs and cats alike being cut open and having various organs removed. It was gross and made me feel sick. Luckily enough I never fainted haha! I learnt a lot of things though. It was very interesting.

There's not really that much for me to say here is there?

I hope you were okay with the wait and here's an update!

In the case of Enma and Byakuran, Byakuran is definitely a transfer (probably around eighteen), and Enma has an Earth Flame (I'm sort of glad about this, it gives me a great opportunity to advance the plot) and was homeschooled as a result. Thank you for giving me your views on this!

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 12  
- Fon: 8  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 8  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 10  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 12  
Dino: 1  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 8  
- Squalo: 1  
Giotto: 7  
G: 1  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 7  
Daemon: 1  
Enma: 3  
Byakuran:  
- Interest/Good: 12  
- Antagonist/Bad:  
- Bit of Both: 7


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Chi-tanda **(Haha, he did just lose control lol. Glad you think it's an awesome chapter and that you liked Byakuran's part. His family wasn't the greatest at all and yup, Enma knows him!)

**Guest **(I don't mind if you love me for it lmao, It's rather flattering. Glad you liked the update, here's the next!)

**Five Seconds **(This was the soonest I could get it out with what's been happening in my life!)

**Wolf D. Dragon **(Okie dokie! Except, only Enma of your selection here. Xanxus and Byakuran should be in soon)

**BloodyDarkNaruto **(Thank you! I put Reborn down for you. Tsuna is acting quite nastily and ignorant towards Tsunayoshi, but they just have to get used to each other I reckon!)

**Mangopudding **(Yup, you somewhat find out here – I think I've indulged quite a lot of information if I'm to be honest haha.

Biting was the easiest thing for Tsunayoshi to do because Tsuna's hand was in Byakuran's and his other hand was trying to get Byakuran off lol.

Here's the next chapter! Only Enma here, I'm sorry, but others should be in soon!)

**Yuki-shi-chan **(Haha, you'll find out if Tsunayoshi likes Enma or not here!)

**MilkTeaLord **(You're back! I tried to tell you the last time – hopefully you'll see it now, but you were my 100th Reviewer, so I offered you something in the ways of a oneshot if you wanted it lol...

Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter!)

**SelfcreatedCharacter **(Hopefully some of your questions will be answered here! And you sort of guessed it lol, that Tsuna and Enma were childhood friends to a certain degree!

Reborn is the best. The absolute best. Lmao.

I don't know why I didn't get Basil down before for someone to be voted for (or Lambo, I thought I had him included) but I added him and included your vote for him. Dino is someone I'm going to try and get in soon!)

**Soul Vrazy **(Yup Enma's here! I'm glad the flashbacks are helpful!)

**StardustDreams **(I can't put spaces in your name! In Chapter Nine it just came out as **dus** and I was gutted that happened. I still hope you realised it was for you and managed to read it lol...I'll go back and change it; take out the spaces.

Tsunayoshi's philosophy is 'if it's annoying/a threat/dangerous to Tsuna then it has to go for good' lmao. So if that means killing everything, it means killing everything haha. And yeah, Tsuna is very uke lol, but then again, Tsunayoshi is a very forward person)

**Yin and Yang **(I like to try and include cliffhangers lmao, if just to see reactions to them – though I do feel cruel because of it. Actually, until I had finished Chapter Nine and started on replying to reviews, it had originally been that Tsuna would've kneed Byakuran in the groin but I changed it last minute lmao. So I think this outcome is better for Byakuran lol. You'll see what their relationship is in this chapter!

The Flames that Enma have are Earth Flames, and they're explained mostly in this chapter in my opinion.)

(Yup, Enma came! And hopefully you'll figure out the relationship in this chapter between the two of them (three if you include Tsunayoshi),

I have yet to figure out what Byakuran might do to Tsuna lol. I might have him treat it as a come on to him from Tsuna and try to get reactions out of him lmao.

You'll figure out what Timoteo and what his parents did to him soon enough, I'm sure.)

**xxxKimi-chan **(I've been to a vet's and watched surgeries before. Thankfully, the first surgery was just a castration, so there wasn't as much blood as there could have been lmao. I still felt very faint from it, but I have to get over it haha...and yeah, I'm glad we have a cat in the house now. We haven't had one for nearly a year, so it's both strange and familiar to have a cat around. We've been talking about getting a second as well!

I'm glad you liked Byakuran showing up lol! I hope you don't mind me saying that your reaction over him and Enma is somewhat cute haha, you seem so excited. Some development with past in this chapter as well and there's definitely a little progress between their relationship so Tsuna and Tsunayoshi don't hate each other so much – in my opinion lmao.

You aren't being weird at all! And, if you are, then we're probably weird together! Glad you liked this chapter and here's the next!)

**Pokermaniac039 **(I'm glad you like it and here's the next update!)

**Dalca **(Oh, I'm supposing it's a good thing you like my style of writing because it's similar to a friend's? I understand what you mean. I have a friend too that has works I enjoy reading, but she has no interest in fanfiction whatsoever.

I wanted Tsunayoshi to have his own role and a reason for which he was present and came about, a reason for why he stays and doesn't simply leave. I've noticed that most split personalities have complete opposite attitudes, and I believe that Tsuna and Tsunayoshi are that way, but I wanted them to have a uniqueness that they could have. I'm happy you like it!

I like to believe that magick takes a certain will and power to handle. The stronger the magick, the stronger your resolve has to be to control it otherwise it'll get out of hand and someone could be drastically hurt from it. Magick is volatile and so only when a person's magick has accepted them and has been controlled to a certain degree, only then do the gems in the rings appear, if you understand me...sorry if I cause any confusion. At any rate, magick isn't that easy to control.

The animals that come along with the characters will be eventually introduced as 'summons'. They don't get their box animals until they've reached a certain stage. Also, summons aren't always present, only when the magick user wants them to be.

If you want Irie Shouichi I can get him in eventually. I may have it that he and Spanner came with Byakuran but were perhaps separated, hence why Byakuran was by himself when Tsuna accidentally tackled him.

Sorry for the long reply! Here's the next chapter!)

**Yuu3 **(Lol, I'm glad you like this chapter for all the hints it gives haha!

Yeah, I included Iemitsu and Nana – finally! – and Nono will still be powerful. He'll still be Vongola and still have a Sky Flame.

Reborn has always been chosen as the best, so that's why he's jealous that Tsuna would rather Fon there. Tsuna likes Fon because the other is calming and because Tsunayoshi has a grudging respect for him – Fon is less likely to get hurt and more likely to help Tsunayoshi calm down. Reborn did similar to what he did in the earlier chapter, in that he just pet Tsuna's hair and rubbed his scalp, simple things like that. Probably sat on the edge of Tsuna's bed or leaning on his side next to him lol.

Alaude had to force those words out. He didn't want Tsuna to make a mess so he tried to calm him down to make sure he wouldn't go on a rampage. He also felt in the wrong for blaming Tsuna of something that isn't his fault. Giotto probably looked quite comical and probably would've fallen over eventually if he stayed too long in that position haha.

About Hibari, I think Tsuna was more fearing for his life and wondering what on earth Hibari was doing so close to him while he was sleeping lmao. Reborn just got frustrated with the crookedness of Tsuna's tie and did it up himself. Probably used it as an excuse to get closer as well lol.

I wouldn't say Enma is dangerous in the conventional sense, but he certainly has ties to Tsuna's past.

Glad you liked all the moments in the last chapter!)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Yup! They know each other! Tsuna isn't too sure of his parents, he hasn't many memories about them and is mostly neutral to them, but Tsunayoshi hate them a lot for his own reasons. And Tsuna is slowly getting used to Reborn!

Hibari was being a bit of a creeper lol, but I don't think it would be a good idea if he reacted violently to Hibari leaning over like he had been haha!

Ah, well, my physiotherapy went well. I've been given exercises to do so my muscles will strengthen in some places and loosen in others to better support my back.)

**Narutopokefan **(It's only the last chapter that was longer, sorry! I'm glad you like Enma and Byakuran, but here's the next chapter!)

**The Kyuubi maiden **(Oh, your reply made me laugh lmao! I giggled at reading it and got told to shut up lol.

I'm glad you liked Byakuran's entrance, and I hope to get Dino in soon. He's a pretty key character in the manga/anime, it would be a shame not to include him within this story.

About I-Pin and Lambo, I would have had them around Tsuna's age so they would be in the same year when they came into the story. I-Pin would be with the other girls, such as Kyoko, Chrome and Haru.

I could imagine the magnitude of the fight between Alaude and Hibari if it comes to blows over Tsuna. You can guarantee that Tsunayoshi would not be impressed haha.

Hope you didn't have to wait long to see what happened between Tsunayoshi and Enma!)

**BrokenBlackCat **(A handful of people have asked about 7227, so if it gets round to it, I might be able to incorporate it into the story at some point lol. But there are/will be G27 and R27 moments in the story haha!

No problem, you're welcome, and here's the next chapter!)

**H0licist **(Glad you like the story and drama, and here's the next chapter! Just so you know about the plot, I don't really think this story'll become anything incredibly serious, but the basics are is that Tsuna had a tragic past, Tsunayoshi was a result, and because he's a danger/people pity him or worry for him, they try to comfort him for it lol.)

**Tujing **(I think it was long just because I was trying to fit the both of them in because they were overdue lmao. It was actually quite interesting. One dog had a mammory mass removed and the vet accidentally nicked a minor artery in an attempt to cut it out. There was blood everywhere because it sprayed, it was like a mini scale horror movie scene)

**Vickibla **(In public around his classmates, yeah, this'll be the first time Tsunayoshi is out around them lmao. I'm glad you like the story and all of the aspects in it!

The other girls will be involved, but I might have to ask what would be the best Flames for them. For some reason, I think Sun would suit Kyoko, Storm would suit Hana and Lightning would suit Haru. It's just a thought, though they were to be included at some point.

I'm glad you like the Fon/Tsuna moments! He's also a favourite Arcobaleno of mine (he's adorable as a baby lmao) but Reborn is also a favourite.

Dino can be a love interest, yes. He hasn't come into the story yet; the list at the bottom is just the overall choice of the reviewers to who they want to see. It also gives me an idea of favourites.

It was hard watching animals being operated on. I normally sat outside on a stool and watched through the doorway lol! That way I didn't have to see too many of the intricate details, and could move closer and further as I needed to. I have a week stomach for blood haha, not good for my current career choice of being a vet!)

**Zahedra **(Well, here you go then! Hope you didn't have to wait too long for an update!)

**XxKatelynnexX **(**Chapter Seven: **I had a very good time at the vet's, though I felt a little bad when I saw the chinchilla get put down. It was somewhat distressing how it just went still so quick in my opinion.

Tsunayoshi knows what he's doing, but Tsuna just sees him as something foreign and possible dangerous and so that's scary because he's misunderstood.

I make sure I correct my spelling but I don't know why I type it like I do lmao. I think I'm just used to doubling 'e' instead of doubling an 'n'.

**Chapter Eight/Nine: **Don't worry about them being late! I don't mind at all, but if you can't access your laptop or whatever, don't fret. I'm just glad that you leave and review at any rate lol. He'll talk through Tsuna and act through him when he gets his limited control, but there'll be reason for him to take control in later chapters as well, so it isn't something that'll just stop. Tsuna'll still have to suffer through random blackouts haha!

About the votes, yeah, Enma and Byakuran were already decided, but, like you said, they were your choices anyway! I hope your curiosity about Enma and Tsuna is dealt with in this chapter!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Chapter Ten – Of Haunting Memories**

_The room was bland. White and devoid of furniture. The walls stretched high towards the faraway ceiling. A table and two chairs sat in the middle of the room and a thick steel door was set in one of the walls._

_Tsuna was sat on one of the seats, facing the man opposite him as he scratched at his hand, where a drip was attached to him. His eyes were mostly devoid, his face gaunt and his skin pale. His hair had lost its bounciness. There was dried blood under his nose and by the corner of his mouth and he was picking at a thin metal collar that was stuck around his neck with short, broken nails.._

"_How are you doing Tsuna? Or, is it Tsunayoshi I'm talking to?" The other occupant of the room tried to instigate a conversation._

"_We're both fine," Tsuna answered tersely, replying with as much indignation a seven year old could muster, some bite to his words. Tsunayoshi would be proud._

"_Why are we here?"_

_The man opposite him sighed and placed a photograph onto the table, sliding it across towards Tsuna. The small boy peered at it curiously, before flipping it over as prompted._

"_Who is this?" Tsuna looked up from the photo of the young boy with red hair, feeling anger rising within him. "Are you keeping him here too?" As his magick spiked, the collar buzzed warninginly against his skin before the Cloud magick embedded within started to shrink the device, starting to choke him as he panicked and cried out, tough facde crumbling as he started scrabbling at it with his fingernails and causing them to bleed. It only loosened when his vision started to spot black._

_The man continued speaking when Tsuna's sporadic fit seemed to have ended and the brunette started gasping for breath, fingers hooked under the collar now that it was looser._

"_This is Kozato Enma. He's around about your age. Your...problem will be helping him."_

"_Helping him?" Tsuna wheezed out, sounding more subdued and his voice hoarse._

"_We'll be taking some of your magick and giving it to him. He has a deficiency and you could help save his life."_

_Tsuna blinked, before his eyes drifted down to the photograph on the table, curiosity rising within him. Even he, at his young age, knew that those born with magick needed the ethereal energy to survive. If this Enma really did have a deficiency, then Tsuna could aid at saving him._

"_Of course, we'll let you see him in person so you know how he's doing."_

_That sealed the deal for Tsuna. He didn't see anyone apart from his guards, the ominous man opposite him and the other members of the facility. The thought of seeing Enma excited him._

_Tsunayoshi wasn't all that impressed. Tsuna was sure he would warm up to Enma, even as he felt the collar begin to tighten because his magick was welling out of his control again._

* * *

Tsunayoshi stood instantly, catching Tsuna's body before they crashed to the floor and he strode down the aisles between the seats, ignoring the teacher's telling him to sit down and ignoring Gokudera's call of worry. Upon reaching Enma, he stared at the redhead for a long moment, the two of them just appraising each other.

Enma broke first, wrapping his arms around Tsunayoshi's torso and dragging him close, prompting the brunette to do the same, looping his arms around Enma's waist and pressing his cheek into the other's shoulder, holding him tight.

In a hushed voice, Tsunayoshi started murmuring hurried instructions into his companion's ear.

"Tsuna is unconscious right now, he doesn't remember who you are; they took you away from us and then they took me away from him. Tsuna stays in the Decimo dorm, second floor in room twenty five. Come see him after school. I can't promise I can make him remember anything, but it would still be nice to see you there. I'll see if I can come to the front again to explain more."

Enma's arms tightened around Tsunayoshi as he pressed his face to the other's neck, humming in assent. He had only tensed briefly at Tsunayoshi's admission, but he accepted it easily, masterfully hiding his upset and slight unease.

"Is Tsuna-kun doing well?" He whispered back, against Tsunayoshi's skin, and felt the other smile slightly into his shoulder.

"Well enough."

"Does he remember anything?"

"Nothing at all. I've been keeping it from him." Tsunayoshi bristled in Enma's hold, causing the other to tighten his arms again, hands grasping tightly in the back of Tsunayoshi's shirt. Tsunayoshi continued speaking, in a softer, almost broken voice. "I don't want him to suffer anymore. This was all my fault, this entire fiasco is because of me...even Enma-kun..."

"Don't blame yourself Tsunayoshi-kun. No one could be to blame in this, except perhaps...well, I don't really want to point fingers." Enma sighed before pulling himself reluctantly from Tsunayoshi's arms. The brunette smiled tiredly at him, closing his eyes at the kiss the redhead bestowed on his forehead before moving to grip his fingers.

"I missed you Enma-kun." Tsunayoshi's voice had gone a little louder though was obviously tired sounding, so the rest of the class could hear this time. Enma gave him a smile as he squeezed his hand gently, other hand moving to rest on Tsunayoshi's arm.

"I missed you too, Tsuna-kun." Enma let Tsunayoshi rest his head on his shoulder as the brunette lost the will to keep himself supported. Every cell within Tsunayoshi's body sang at the freedom, but if he didn't give the body back to Tsuna soon, then the magick within him would start to slip out and cause questions. Already it was humming under his skin, waiting to break free and cause havoc. It was tiring out Tsunayoshi as he attempted to keep it tightly leashed, fighting against it.

No doubt that loyal idiot, Gokudera Hayato, was already wary of any actions because of his, Tsunayoshi's, existence.

His fingertips were burning. Everything was burning. He was probably hurting Enma and still the magick was itching to be let out. Tsunayoshi couldn't remember the last time that he was at the front and didn't have to use magick, so he hurriedly started sifting through his mind for Tsuna, ready to mentally slap the other awake and shove him back into his place.

Similar to like the other day, after the fight with Xanxus, Tsuna was _lost. _Tsunayoshi gave up struggling.

Magick exploded outwards from around him, blowing out the windows and toppling students out of their chairs, Gokudera shouting out in panic for Tsuna. The teacher had been thrown against the desk with a loud noise. Only Enma had managed to keep himself rooted, but, from the red-brown coloured Flame that had appeared on his forehead, this was because of his particular type magick.

Enma's hand, sparking magick, had lifted to cradle Tsunayoshi's face as he said something to him that was near silent over the scream of magick and blood pumping in his ears.

When Tsuna was in control, Tsunayoshi managed the magick inside of them. He kept it doing small tasks that weren't noticeable, just to wear the swell of power down. Tsuna didn't know how to do that for Tsunayoshi, since he was never conscious when the other took over and Tsunayoshi couldn't waste any of the excess energy in physical activities, such as fighting someone.

Then Enma's Flame clad fist was hurtling towards his face, and Tsunayoshi barely had enough time to jerk up an arm to block it, his limbs suddenly heavy and his movements sluggish, like he was moving through thick syrup.

His wide, incredulous eyes lifted to Enma and the redhead tersely smiled, confidence growing with his magick as he murmured, words piercing the rush of power and reaching Tsunayoshi.

"Release your magick. I'll be your catalyst to waste it."

Tsunayoshi stared for a long moment before letting a savage grin cross his face, hand diving into his pocket for his ring which he slid on abruptly, launching himself at Enma moments later as something close to relief ran through him because he could use his magick. He made sure to pull his punches and use weaker incantations that he could push a lot of energy in without causing any lasting damage to Enma.

Enma's knuckles brushed his jaw and the teen taunted him, Flame on his forehead burning brighter.

"Have you gotten rusty after all this time, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsunayoshi bared his teeth in a motion that was half a snarl and half a smile of grim excitement. The classroom was all but forgotten and then everything turned into a blur of movement before Tsunayoshi realised that he'd been launched out of the broken window and towards the courtyard below, his rib cracking with the force of the magick that had hit him, or perhaps because of the pressure Enma was exerting on his body with his Flame.

He swung himself around to land on his feet, very nearly denting the ground, though several slabs did break with the force of him hitting the floor. His fist immediately lifted and slammed into Enma's gut as the redhead launched himself towards the brunette. Enma's eyes had widened at the hit, dry retching and dribbling a little blood from the force as he dropped to his knees, briefly winded.

Tsunayoshi knew he should stop, but the magick was rushing through him, singing in his veins and pulsing through his body with every hurried heartbeat, adrenaline making everything so much clearer and numbing the pain, pushing away any sort of reasoning other than to fight and dominate and _win_. He couldn't even remember why they had started fighting, just that he would be the one to end it at any cost, to have a victory by a large margin.

Enma had only started to get up again when Tsunayoshi's foot connected harshly with his stomach in the same place as the punch had collided with, causing Enma to wail in pain and slump over, Flame on his forehead dying to just a small ember.

Tsunayoshi leaned down to grab Enma's hair, the Flame on the other's forehead weakly licking at his wrist as he dragged the other teen from the floor. Enma looked up at him with eyes glazed over because of pain, one hand lifting to grip onto Tsunayoshi's wrist, wincing as some strands of hair were pulled free from the brutal grip. At first he had been sure that the other wouldn't hurt him permanently but realised that Tsunayoshi had probably been held in for far too long and hadn't quite the grip on his control and magick as he had when he was constant in Tsuna's life.

Six years was a long time for a person and magick to develop. Tsunayoshi didn't know how to handle it yet and Enma wasn't even sure how long it had been since Tsunayoshi had been 'returned' to Tsuna anyway.

He was pretty sure that Tsunayoshi was going to beat the hell out of him when the brunette faltered, some semblance of recognition sparking in his burning eyes, his brows furrowing before the orange suddenly started fading in colour, dulling into a soft shade of brown.

It was the only brief warning Enma had before the other teen collapsed on top of him, Flames and magick blinking out.

Enma sat up with the unconscious Tsuna on his lap, running a hand through his hair, his other hand settled on Tsuna's back. He was breathing slowly because of the pain in his abdomen, his own Flames flickering before sizzling out. Gulping softly, he lifted his eyes towards the window the two had broken out, and was met with the stares of a handful of his new classmates, the ones who were conscious.

This wasn't a good start for the day and he also had a guilty, sinking feeling he may have just ruined something for Tsuna.

* * *

Tsuna woke up tucked in his bed, feeling as if he'd just run a marathon. His throat was dry, his eyelids were heavy and everything _ached._ He was pretty sure he could taste blood on the back of his tongue as well, and no amount of swallowing would make it leave.

The dream was still vivid in his mind and he tried to ignore the details. The door had been back. There was the room, with its white walls and white floor and white _everything_ except for the stains, new and old, of blood. _His blood._

He _slowly_ shook his head as he started to sit up, wincing as something in his back chose to crack with the movement. His head was oddly silent, and he didn't like the _empty_ sensation it caused since he couldn't hear Tsunayoshi.

As his senses came back to him, he was aware of loud talking outside of his room and he carefully dragged himself to his feet, wincing fiercely at the pain that wracked his body. Stumbling slightly, he resigned himself to using the wall as he hobbled his way towards the door.

When he closed his fingers around the handle, pushed it down and opened the door, the shouting from beyond faded into nothing, and Tsuna slumped against the doorway, staring at the people crammed into the dorm.

The redhead from class was there, that was the first thing he registered. That caused Tsunayoshi to stir in his mind, but the other didn't take over again and –

Tsuna crumpled, suddenly unable to breathe as he slid down to heavily land on his backside, panic making him shake violently. He was running trembling hands over his face and through his hair as twitched and jerked.

Reborn was suddenly in front of him. Tsuna had no idea where he had come from, but the senior was there, slapping hands onto his shoulders and dragging him to his feet, mouth moving in words that the brunette couldn't hear, couldn't understand.

"Tsunayoshi," Tsuna croaked out over the noise of what sounded like rushing water in his head. "What...Tsunayoshi, what happened?"

"Nothing lasting happened." Reborn's voice broke through the haze and Tsuna felt himself relax, his breathing coming at an easier pace than before. The black haired teen continued talking, tone soft and calming, "Everything was contained. Neither the students nor the teacher remember, it was just five minutes of their time that was easily changed without damage. Nobody was hurt, except for Kozato-san but he's fine now. Tsunayoshi relinquished control for no apparent reason."

Tsuna felt as if Reborn didn't have his hands on his shoulders then he would fall to the floor. The people in the room had crowded a little closer and Reborn shot them a scathing look over his shoulder. Slowly, Tsuna lifted his hand to grip onto Reborn's arm, mouth opening and closing as he tried to formulate an answer.

"Kozata-san...?" Tsuna finally asked, registering that Reborn had said Enma was the only one hurt.

"Is perfectly fine now. All healed up. He said that he refused to tell us anything until you woke up. Do you know him?"

Tsuna felt the 'no' on his lips but had a gut feeling that if he said it, then he would be lying and so he let his mouth snap shut again as he simply shrugged his shoulders as best he could with Reborn's hands on him.

"Well, now you're up, maybe he'll explain to us."

"Does everyone there _have_ to stay?" Tsuna peered past Reborn again, eyes drifting across the numerous faces.

"Can't expect your roommates to leave, but I'm sure the others would leave with some prompting." Reborn let go of Tsuna. "You just wait in here; I'll get you when they're gone. Sit back down; you look like you might faint."

Reborn pressed his hand against Tsuna's back and pushed him back towards the bed, only satisfied when Tsuna was sat on the mattress again, legs tucked up underneath him. He left the room when he was sure that Tsuna was staying sat at where he was.

As soon as the door clicked shut, muted shouted sounded from beyond again, and Tsuna simply let himself slump back against his bed, arms folded over his eyes as he hid his face, trying to relax and hoping he could perhaps fall asleep so he wouldn't have to face anything anymore.

A few moments later, the door opened and shut again. Tsuna heard someone shuffle across the floor quietly towards him, perching in the edge of the bed beside him. Gently, a hand settled on his wrist and tugged his hand away from his eyes.

Tsuna was set to give whoever it was a baleful look before his eyes took in the red eyes and red hair of his companion and his expression withered away into one of questioning and confusion. Finally, he found his voice, wrist still caught in a gentle grip.

"K-Kozato-san?"

Enma smiled weakly as he murmured, "Please, you can call me 'Enma' if you want. Can I call you Tsuna?"

"Ah..yeah, yeah that's fine." Tsuna shuffled himself to sit upright, a little perturbed that Enma still had a loose grip to his wrist. "I-I think I should apologise f-for what I may have d-done while not myself."

"Don't worry, Tsunayoshi-kun didn't hurt me that bad," Enma reassured him, hand tightening gently on Tsuna's arm. "He wouldn't have meant to either way."

Tsuna blinked. "H-How do you know this?"

Enma leaned closer, resting his free hand on Tsuna's knee, looking seriously at his face, mouth turned down slightly in a vaguely displeased frown.

"You really don't remember...I'm not sure how much I can tell you Tsuna-kun, but it's easy enough to tell you that we've known each other since we were both about seven or eight. We lost contact when you turned ten, but now I know there's a mostly valid reason for that."

"I don't know you." Tsuna apologised and Enma simply gave him a smile.

"I know that. Is Tsunayoshi-kun there?"

Tsuna blinked a few times, eyes drifting away from Enma's inquisitive expression as he tried to sense Tsunayoshi's presence. The other was being very lax and barely responding. He wasn't being as forward as he was in the classroom due to Enma's being there as he had before. In fact, if Tsuna thought right...

"He feels ashamed," Tsuna said, hearing the surprised tone in his voice and startling himself with it. "Because of what he did to you."

Enma squeezed Tsuna's wrist gently as he murmured, "He doesn't need to be sorry or ashamed. I urged him on. I guess it was just excitement at seeing you and him again."

Tsunayoshi was stirring with interest again and Tsuna swallowed slowly, feeling the other push the front of his conscience, listening with attention. Tsuna knew that he wouldn't try to take over. He didn't know _how_ he knew, he just did.

"I think he's relieved that you forgive him," Tsuna gave a haphazard guess and felt Tsunayoshi radiate his agreement. "I think I should apologise as well, for letting him take over so easily..."

"We haven't seen each other in six years. I think he was just happy to see a familiar face. It was only two and half years we knew each other closely, but we had a strong friendship." Enma moved so both of his hands to clasp onto Tsuna's, holding the brunette's limb uncomfortably close to his chest. "Tsuna-kun, you and Tsunayoshi-kun saved my life."

"I-Is that so?" Tsuna kept his eyes on his hand, trying to tug the limb free. "I don't remember."

"I know that," was Enma's reply again as he smiled amicably at Tsuna. "But maybe I can help you _start_ to remember, right?"

Tsuna felt Tsunayoshi's indecision and indignation before he could even think about Enma's offer. Slowly, he tugged his hand free and folded both of them on his lap, fingers twisting in the fabric of his trousers gently as he stared at them, letting Enma's words sound in his head.

"H-How much do you know?" Tsuna finally heard himself ask, eyes lifting to Enma's face, and the redhead smiled softly.

"I only know sketchy details of your life but perhaps if nudged, you would find the rest on your own. Should I start from what I know of you from the earliest?"

Tsuna slowly nodded his head and Enma reached back across to automatically nudge his hands into Tsuna's. Tsuna felt his fingers curl around Enma's of his own volition, and briefly wondered why it felt somewhat natural to be holding the other's hand.

"Tsunayoshi-kun has been with you for pretty much your entire life, Tsuna-kun." Enma kept his hand tight on Tsuna's as the brunette flinched and jerked around to face him fully in shock, upper body twisting and Enma pursed his lips, trying to calm him down.

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, feeling his voice quake. "I think I would know if I had had _Tsunayoshi_ in me for so long."

"A lot of things happened Tsuna-kun." Enma's thumb brushed across Tsuna's knuckles. "My guess would be that what you think of your life, from birth to the age of ten is mostly a lie or a blank patch in your memories, am I right?"

"M-My earlier memories are blank, but hardly anyone remembers their younger years. Just because I can't remember mine doesn't mean that Tsunayoshi was in them all along!"

"Your parents told me about Tsunayoshi-kun. They say that they first noticed his existence when you turned two."

Tsuna's throat was starting to close up in shock and he could feel his mind whirling over these details. Tsunayoshi was moving restlessly within him, images and whispers of words accompanying his insistent motions. Tsuna could feel that Tsunayoshi didn't want him to hear this, but also knew that Tsuna needed to know.

When Tsuna remained silent, mind in turmoil and body shaking very gently, Enma slowly continued, giving the details as basically as he could so he wouldn't shock the other too much.

"You were born with excessive magick, Tsuna-kun. Just like having too little of something, too much can be dangerous as well. When you were born your magick was too wild, to unrestrained and powerful for such an inexperienced person and too much to fit in the body of just a baby. For the first year of your life you would be taken in and out of the hospital because of problems due to your magick and then, suddenly, the problems stopped."

"How do you know this?" Tsuna croaked out, taking in deep breaths of air as he tried to prevent himself from breaking down. He didn't know why, but this information was terrifying to him. He knew what would come with it but then again he didn't know. He felt so lost, so unsure. Scared.

"You saved my life, Tsuna-kun, because you had this excessive magick. I had a deficiency and your magick helped to stoke my own Flame to keep me alive. Iemitsu-san and Nana-san told me this before the procedures went through and of course I would have had to be warned about Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna felt as if Enma was skirting around some finer points to his story, but he didn't call the redhead out on it, just trying to absorb what he had already been told by the other.

"S-So why did the problems stop?" Tsuna found his voice again after a moment, swallowing thickly. His tongue was heavy in his mouth.

"Your parents think it was because Tsunayoshi-kun came about then. A mental manifestation of your magick, if you will. With your magick spread across two parts, it didn't cause strain on you any longer. Your body, or perhaps even the magick itself created Tsunayoshi-kun to keep you alive. At first he wasn't noticeable and then he started to become increasingly...violent."

_I was only trying to care for Tsuna! His parents were doing a mediocre job of it!_

"H-He says that he was just trying to look after me because my parents weren't doing the best of it..."

Curiosity crossed Enma's face as Tsuna revealed this and he asked inquisitively, "Tsunayoshi-kun is listening in now?"

Tsuna nodded tersely towards Enma and got a smile in return.

"I'm glad Tsunayoshi-kun is part of the conversation too. He deserves to be."

"Ah..." Tsuna slowly agreed before waiting for Enma to continue explaining. Enma seemed to get his hint, smiling again and squeezing his hand.

"When you turned six, Iemitsu-san and Nana-san sent you away because of Tsunayoshi-kun, hoping they could help you. It was a mostly research facility, but they believed they could help with what they thought was your problem. It was an institute called the 'Vendicare'."

Tsunayoshi suddenly revolted inside Tsuna's mind and the brunette flinched violently, jerking his entire body at the pain that flared in the form of a headache, briefly going blind because of the sheer agony. He barely felt the feather light touches on his face and barely heard the shouts of concern.

He lost his grip on consciousness just as the door to the bedroom slammed open.

* * *

"_You can't do this! You're supposed to be his parents!" Tsunayoshi screamed, thrashing against the hands holding him down. "Why are you sending him away?! He trusted you!"_

"_We're doing this to help you." Nana's voice was choked with upset and sadness as she reached down to touch Tsunayoshi's small face. Tsunayoshi tried to bite her fingers, but couldn't move his head far enough. "Tsu-kun can't have two people in him. It's bad for him." _

"_Taking him away from you is bad for him! I won't do anything again, I promise, just don't do this to Tsuna! Don't do it!" Tsunayoshi felt the magick building again and didn't bother trying to push it down. The people holding onto him gave grunts or hisses of pain and the restraining hands disappeared. Tsunayoshi jerked forward, wrapping his arms around Nana as far as he could reach with his short arms. He was only six. Only small, inexperienced. He didn't deserve to go through this. Tsuna didn't deserve it. He deserved better._

_Nana had started sobbing into his hair; he could hear her as she wrapped her arms around him in return, cradling him to her front as best she could. Tsunayoshi almost felt comforted by her hold, until her arms became too tight and he felt a foreign hand on the back of his head, pressing gently to force his head forward. He couldn't lash out quick enough before a needle slid into his neck and then liquid pain was flowing into him._

_He was greeted by darkness just moments later, his body going limp and his magick retreating._

* * *

_Tsuna whimpered as he woke up again, feeling pain reverberate through his limbs. As he tried to sit up, he realised that he was being strapped down and that the room he was in was pitch black. There was a murmur of voices around him and his chest tightened in fear as he hesitantly called out, "Mama? Papa?"_

_The hushed voices disappeared and suddenly large fingers were touching his face. As light started to enter his vision he found out that a blindfold had been tied around his eyes and had just been pulled away._

"_Sawada Tsunayoshi-san. My name is Bermuda von Veckenschtein and I will be overseeing you during your stay here."_

_Tsuna whimpered at the person because they were _scary_ looking. Bermuda was dressed in multitudes of bandages and wearing a hat. Tsuna didn't know why they were wearing a white coat as well but it made him cringe. Terror was making him body stiffen up and Tsunayoshi was screeching in his head._

_There wasn't a second thought about it when he let Tsunayoshi take over between one breath and the next, just stepping back as the other personality slipped forward, Tsuna hanging at the back as he settled down to watch Tsunayoshi take care of the problem and take care of what was scaring him._

_Bermuda seemed to be startled when magick burst outwards from the small body tied down to the surface and that gave Tsunayoshi some sort of satisfaction, that he could affect this intimidating person that had made his Tsuna cower._

"_Where is Mama and Papa? Take us home!" Tsunayoshi struggled to sit up as the straps holding him down started to distort and twist away from him when he concentrated his flow of magick on them. When he was free he let magick rush out of him in a wave again and Bermuda stumbled back._

_Tsunayoshi swung his feet around, briefly bewildered since he couldn't reach the floor but easily enough dropped off of the edge of the platform, landing barefoot on a cold, smooth floor. He managed a handful of steps towards Bermuda before something jabbed harshly into his ribs. He turned his head to the side to see who had attacked him, magick blunting the pain, but no amount of magick could stop the fiery burn of four hundred volts of electricity jumping through his veins._

_Over his own screaming he could hear Bermuda's voice speaking calmly._

"_Don't do any lasting damage. We need him in one piece."_

_Tsunayoshi's contempt for Bermuda, for a brief second, overrode the agony before his vision blacked out._

"_Welcome to Vendicare, Sawada Tsunayoshi-san."_

* * *

"What the hell did you do to the Tenth, Kozato?!"

"We only spoke. I did nothing to him, Gokudera-san."

The loud voice followed by the meek one was what greeted Tsuna when he woke up again, groaning in discomfort. His head was pounding, and the shouting wasn't doing anything to alleviate it.

"Tsuna?" a hand extended into his slightly sleep blurred vision, and Tsuna followed the hand up an arm to Yamamoto's face. He took the offer and used it to pull himself up. Tsunayoshi was once more subdued, and, for once, the images of the dream he'd had weren't blurred. They flowed freely through his mind, the other personality not deciding to snatch them away this time.

Swallowing the feeling of horror, Tsuna mentally and cautiously pleaded Tsunayoshi to hide them like he always did and Tsunayoshi immediately obliged, tucking them away out of sight until Tsuna's mind was thankfully blank.

He couldn't empty his head of the sinister words that rooted themselves deep of _"Welcome to Vendicare.". _They were firmly lodged and wouldn't be removed. Nothing Tsunayoshi did hid _Bermuda_ either. Tsuna could see him every time he blinked.

Everything was blissfully silent around him and Tsuna shivered at the feeling of eyes on him. Glancing around, he noticed how everyone from the dorm as well as Enma was crammed around his bed, aside from Hibari. There was no way to know where he was and the prefect didn't tend to like crowding anyway.

Gokudera had his hand fisted in the collar of Enma's shirt, holding the meek and almost scared looking redhead off of the floor with the hold. He unceremoniously dropped Enma to his feet when he realised Tsuna was awake and staring at him.

"Tenth, is everything okay? What did Kozato do to you?"

"He did nothing past what I asked of him," Tsuna mumbled in return. "I'm fine, but please don't harass Enma anymore. It wasn't his fault. All we did was talk." Tsuna let his eyes drop to his lap and realised that Yamamoto still had a grip against his fingers. Tsuna didn't even try to shake his hand free; he couldn't be bothered.

"What could you talk about that would make you pass out, Tsuna-chan?" Mukuro asked this, raising an eyebrow as he peered at Tsuna and the brunette bristled, turning defensively immediately. Tsunayoshi reared up in his mind to Tsuna's indignation, and Tsuna let himself hiss, "I don't think you need to know."

Mukuro blinked in shock at Tsuna's vindictive attitude to him before narrowing his eyes. Tsuna promptly winced, cringing in on himself before he sighed through his nose.

"I'm not going to apologise, Rokudo-senpai. There's a limit to what people need to know. Even if we are friends, as proclaimed by you, I don't think this is something you – or anyone besides Enma and myself – need to know."

Tsuna watched as Mukuro's hand fisted and his ring flared with Mist Flames. Tsuna was somewhat comforted by the almost heavy presence of Tsunayoshi at the forefront of his mind, ready to keep Mukuro out should the illusionist try getting into his head. He felt the first probes of magick and Tsunayoshi readily ripped them away, making Mukuro grimace and for his ring to turn back to its normal jewelled state.

"I think it's safe to say that no one should go into Tsuna's head, Rokudo," Reborn blankly stated. "Considering what shares his mind is a psychotic other half."

"He's just protective," Tsuna rebutted firmly.

"He's _psychotic_ Tsuna. Why are you defending him?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Tsuna shot back and was rewarded with Reborn recoiling in surprise.

"Tsuna...weren't you scared of him before?"

"I still am, nothing's changed, but it doesn't give you the right to call Tsunayoshi psychotic Reborn. Effectively that means you're calling me half insane because he's _a part of me._ I have to accept that." Tsuna shuddered at the thought. He was still scared of Tsunayoshi, but deep down he was resigned about the fact he would have the other with him for a while perhaps.

Reborn stared at him for a while before grimacing and shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders as if defeated.

"Think of him what you want."

"Thank you. I will." Tsuna finally yanked his hand free of Yamamoto's, tucking his knees against his chest and hugging them tightly, refusing to meet anyone's eyes before he mumbled, "Sorry for snapping at you. I don't agree with what you say, but I shouldn't have been so harsh about it I suppose."

"Tsuna-kun is probably a little tired," Enma broke in with is voice little more than a whisper. "I'm sorry for telling you, Tsuna-kun..."

"It's okay Enma." Tsuna sighed as he looked over at the redhead. "I asked you to tell me."

"Tell you _what?" _Mukuro was insistent on getting information and Gokudera hastily told him to back off, glaring at the heterochromatic eyed elder.

Enma's eyes drifted towards Mukuro and he said, with his voice almost snide though still soft, "I don't believe that's any of your business."

Mukuro shot him a dark look, red eye glowing softly before Tsuna suddenly clapped his hands together, surprising himself as magick leaked out with the motion. It was enough to catch attention and bring it back to him.

"R-Rokudo-senpai, please leave Enma alone. I'm not too sure of the authenticity or the details, but Enma is a close friend of mine."

"I owe him my life," Enma said sombrely, gaining appraising looks for his words.

"And how did that work out?" Gokudera asked sceptically, though there was a curious tone to his voice. Enma looked to Tsuna for guidance, and Tsuna decided that indulging those in the room with a little of their conversation would stop them bugging him and Enma for information.

"When I was born I had an unusually large amount of magick. It was dangerous; I was sick and ill a lot of the time because of it. On the other hand, Enma had magick that was slowly depleting and it was decided mutually between our families that he would get some of my magick."

"The Flame he had was very unique." Gokudera mused. "Not quite the colour of a Storm Flame, but..."

"It's an Earth Flame that I have," Enma broke in quietly. "And before you protest, it is a real thing. My magick hadn't been determined by the time I was seven, unlike Tsuna who had already awakened to his Sky Flame. Because of the power of his Flame, they tried to move the excess over to me. The Flame didn't quite take properly and gained properties and power of its own from the instigation of Sky magick. Since it was made from the Sky but wasn't the same, they named it the opposite. Earth." Between one blink and the next, Enma's Flame blazed on his forehead, eyes brightening in colour.

The room was hushed and stayed quiet even as the Flames flickered out and disappeared, eyes on Enma who shuffled under the intense gazes and moved to edge by Tsuna's bedside who automatically reached to grip onto his fingers.

"So Tsuna, why didn't you tell us that you knew Kozato-san?" Reborn finally asked and Tsuna tensed briefly, mumbling quietly, "Because apparently, everything I remember about my life before I came to this school is a lie."

* * *

**JUST TO BE RANDOM: Who would be interested in 7227 if it was somehow incorporated?**

This chapter was hard. I didn't like that at all. I don't even know _why_ it was hard, it just was. Lol.

There isn't much to say here, except that I'm sorry it took a while to get this chapter out but I hope you enjoy it.

Rather randomly, _we have a cat now because of the vet's! _

I also might have more work experience soon, which means another week of no writing lol.

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 14  
- Fon: 8  
- Skull: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 8  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 10  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 1  
Hibari Kyoya: 13  
Lambo: 1  
Dino: 2  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 9  
- Squalo: 1  
Giotto: 7  
G: 1  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 8  
Daemon: 1  
Enma: 4  
Byakuran: 1  
Basil: 1


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or alerted!**

**Schwarzien.D'Seventh **(I'm glad you liked Enma being in this chapter? I like the thought of Enma having a semi-important/very-important role in this story because his Flame offers unique turns to the story.

I'm sorry that the flashbacks were confusing – did you understand them in the end or do I need to explain them? It's mostly triggers that set them off and that's why they aren't in the proper order.

Tsuna was just feeling agitated I'm guessing and that's why he had a go at them lol! And yes, the classmates did have their memories wiped, otherwise the news would have spread and Tsuna wouldn't have gotten any peace lmao)

**Guest** (Here's the next chapter! Hope you didn't have to wait that long!)

**LadyLexius** (It wouldn't be a main pairing at any rate, because of how hard it _would_ be to incorporate if I did get it in at all...

Tsuna's just sort of accepting that Tsunayoshi is real and that there's no way to get around it. There's not much more he can do but trust the voice in his head, when all Tsunayoshi doing is looking after him anyway.

I'm glad you like my portrayal of the characters! I'm not too sure of the final pairing – _if_ there'll be a final pairing or if everyone will just keep skirting around the manner...I guess a 'harem' wouldn't be too farfetched in the end haha...)

**MilkTeaLord** (I'm glad you liked the chapter! When/If it happens, I'll get 7227 in when possible!)

**NoirxAnge **(It's no promise about 7227, but I'm glad you're showing interest lol. Sticking the memories in the way I did is the only way I thought would make the most sense, even if they aren't seamless.)

**xxxKimi-chan **(Haha, you seem so happy that I mentioned 7227. Your top pairings are some of the rarest sort of ones, aren't they lol? I'll admit I like all three too though, so I can't really say anything.

We got used to him walking around now. He sleeps in the oddest places and constantly is losing fur. He also likes to get behind the TV, but the most annoying trait he has is that he bites ankles. I tend to cross and then uncross my feet when typing and he thinks it fun to pounce on them and bite down lol.

Yeah, I was hoping to become a veterinarian (surgeon) when I'm older. Right now I've just gotten my GCSE results and got accepted into further education. From there I'll get my A-Levels (hopefully) and then get into a University to do a degree in veterinary!

I know how you feel because I get really emotional for animals too. My first week at a vet's was last year, and a stray cat was taken in at the beginning of the week, early Monday morning. I was allowed to feed him and pet him during free time and was very upset when I came in on the Thursday morning and found out he'd passed away due to a septic infection.

If I thought the last chapter was hard, this one was even harder lmao. I got as far as –

"_**I can reinforce your mind, or divert his Flames if Bouche-san attempts to use them against you."**_

- And then I was stuck for the longest time. I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be the Millefiore or Vendicare that caused the problems for Tsuna, but using the Vindice seemed easier because Byakuran had been introduced and didn't recognise Tsuna.

Yay, lol! Let's be weird together lmao. I just can't help but smile when I read some of these reviews haha!

Hope you like this chapter!)

**TotalAmuto **(Look at your enthusiasm lol! All caps, haha! It wouldn't be anything like a main pairing, but I have some idea on how to get 7227 interaction into the story!)

**Mangopudding **(Ah, it definitely isn't the best of places to stay at, in canon or in this story, I agree with you there.

Yup, Enma and Tsuna have a close and special relationship! I liked it for the plot. Lol. That's my reasoning.

Tsuna's definitely starting to accept Tsunayoshi and trust him more, no doubt!

Only really Enma here – barely – but I'll get the others in soon!)

**Yuu3 **(Reborn seems to be that sort of person to me, lol. He doesn't mind caring for Tsuna, but doesn't want others to really find out that he has a soft spot when he's built his reputation on being uncaring.

I'm not too sure on _any_ of the characters really, but I like to give myself the benefit of the doubt with this being an AU so I don't have to keep them _completely_ the same. I don't want the changes to be incredibly drastic, however.

Hibari, Tsundere? Probably lmao! Only in absolute secret, with no one finding out lol and probably something small – a secret cuddler? I could imagine that haha...Hibari cuddling up to whoever's next to him!

In retrospect, Tsuna's parents probably realised after it had all transpired that Vendicare probably wasn't the best place to send him to, but they were running out of options and wanted Tsuna to be cured of Tsunayoshi since they perceived him as something bad.

I don't want to say _too_ much, but I wouldn't say that Timeteo, Tsuna's parents and the Vendicare are working together, per se, just that they are coincidentally interconnected because of Tsuna.

Here's the next chapter for you!)

**Mellisa **(Here's an update!)

**Catxmelons **(I can see you're excited about the thought of 7227 lmao! I'll get it in whenever/if I can, but don't hold your breath!)

**Soul Vrazy **(Lol, 'uke pair'... So true...Anyway, I'm glad you liked it!)

**Shanagi95 **(Okie dokie! I'll get him in when possible!)

**Pokermaniac039 **(Here's the update! Sorry, I didn't get anything that you asked for...Bermuda isn't here but he'll be in soon, I think! I'd have had Tsuna explain his past, but he doesn't really know it all in detail so there's nothing for him to say)

**SachielAngelo **(A lot of people are interested in 7227, but, like I've said to others, it won't be much of a main pairing. I'm glad you like the chapter and Enma's incorporation into the story! About the class, most of them were knocked out and the ones that were awake had their memories altered accordingly. I like to think the explosion was blamed on Gokudera lol...

I go back to pretty much full time school on the 5th of September but, because I'm only doing four subjects, that means I could have up to three hours of math a day in a five hour day haha...not looking forward to it. I know how you feel about homework and exams...I've just had my GCSE results back recently – but I got the grades I was hoping for and extra!)

**BrokenBlackCat **(Yup, a lie. That was the easiest way to make Tsuna forget Tsunayoshi and keep him calm. Vendicare was a mistake definitely, but I like to think Nana was at the end of her tether and just wanting her Tsuna back to the way he was supposed to be instead of Tsunayoshi.)

**SelfcreatedCharacter **(The 7227 question was mostly out of curiosity. It wouldn't be anything major. Everyone's bias because they've always been on the receiving end of Tsunayoshi's rage so they don't find it protection as it is dangerous. They didn't know the danger of Vendicare – it was just a budding research facility then, young when Tsuna was smaller – and, at their wits end because of Tsunayoshi, decided it was best to try everything they could to help Tsuna. The Vendicare would have arranged meetings weeks in advance for relatives to visit, so they could Tsuna up and make sure that no wounds or anything were visible so they weren't expected. And yup! Enma survived because of them!

If you mean rambles as in reviews, then yes, I like rambling. I don't know why, but I think it's because I'm prone to it myself haha! I managed Reborn into here, but Bermuda's probably in the next chapter)

**Tujing **(I'm trying to get the past in bits and pieces without it being confusing or overwhelming! And Tsuna's sort of accepted the inevitability that is Tsunayoshi because there's nothing he can do about it lol.

The 7227 question was for curiosity but I can see where you're coming from about the borderline obsessive brother. I think Tsunayoshi would be the sort that had a severe complex for Tsuna haha...)

**XxKatelynnexX **(Yup, you're on time! I can't say the same for myself, this chapter was very late...I'm somewhat ashamed of myself haha...

It was upsetting, I didn't cry but I had that sort of feeling where you're deeply upset and almost cry. I had to blink a few times just to make sure.

Tsunayoshi isn't just going to sit back if Tsuna's in danger. He's doting and protective so if taking over keeps Tsuna from getting hurt badly, he'd do it lol. Even if nobody's happy about it.

I'm glad the chapter cleared things up for you, and I'm glad you like my ideas!

I'll get 7227 in if it's possible!

And his name is Smudge, because of this adorable little grey smudge under his chin!)

**Tora-chan83 **(You can vote for as many as you want – it just means that I try and get those characters in when possible, so Luce and Byakuran is fine, just not now!

Since magick is a theme of this story, summoning creatures such as Natsu wouldn't be too farfetched. Adult Lambo will eventually be a roommate of Tsuna along with Ryohei, and I-Pin was going to be an adult as well, roomed with the other girls such as Hana, Chrome and Kyoko. I'm honestly not too sure of Kawahira though lol, sorry...

Either way, thank you for the suggestions!)

**Vickibla **(Nah, it wouldn't be a main pairing if it made its way into the story. More of a support/side sort of pairing. Glad you liked the chapter and snippets of past!)

**Neolazer **(Ryohei was in there. Once. Briefly. The point is, he was there for maybe six paragraphs at most lmao. 7227 wouldn't be main but it could be included. So could 2700/0027, whichever way you wanted it haha)

**Shiro Zaffiro di Lussaria **(Can I just say I like your penname? I'm just going to casually put that out there...

I'm glad you like the story and here's the next update. 7227 is an uncertainty, I'm not making any promises, but I'm not crossing it out completely considering all the responses that are interested in it!

I'll try to bring in the characters you want as soon as possible!)

**Monogatari no Shiori **(I have some ideas for what his parents reactions are/were as a result but I still have to completely outline it all, if you understand...

I think Enma was half for plot, and half because I wanted Tsuna/Tsunayoshi to actually have a positive relationship with someone, not a relationship where Tsuna respects the person while Tsunayoshi wants to throttle them.

Some people are interested as a pairing and some just as brotherly interaction like you too. I have yet to decided if/how any interactions will occur)

**Dark Murcielago **(Glad you like the story and I'll try get in Ryohei and Lambo at some point!)

**Syliva-san **(Haha, I'm happy you like the relationship between the two! But nope, the past isn't going to come in soon I don't think. It'd be too much all at once. And Hibari is the very essence of unpredictability lmao.

I'm a bit like that with Tsuna as well lol...so long as he's included with a seme, then I like the pairing! Tsuna's just that sort of person lmao)

**Guest 2 **(Okie dokie, and you're welcome!)

**Ezcap1st **(Okay! And isn't that the truth, haha, who _is_ more protective of Tsuna rather than Tsunayoshi? Glad you liked the chapter and the 0027 interactions!)

**3 cups 0f tea** (I'm glad you like the story! And Fon/Tsuna is one of my guilty pleasures, I'll admit. I don't know _why_ I like it, but I really do. Lol. That's my reasoning.

I'm sorry if my tenses don't quite stay the same, but I write chunks of chapters at different points. I might write some of it one morning and then not touch it for several hours or a day or two and then everything changes direction...hopefully it isn't anything too severe, though it's obviously noticeable if you picked up on it.

Yup, the dorm arrangement is steadily making its way to that point!

**Chapter Ten Reply: **Haha, that's perfectly fine! (If I can get it in lol))

**Myriam **(I'm happy you like the story/chapter and the way I brought Enma into the story. I'm glad you're starting to make sense of the memories and such and that you like the idea of Vendicare!

For Tsunayoshi and Tsuna, I have an idea for it, though the relationship wouldn't be anything huge for either of them lol...Don't worry, I have it – mostly – under control. At least, I like to think that way)

You're welcome for the chapter, and here's an update!)

**Nijiiro no sekai **(I have absolutely no idea. Would you like some in there? I was probably going to have Chrome and Mukuro as siblings...)

**Sleepdeprive91 **(Well, here you go! An update!)

**KitsuneNaru **(It might end up being there because of majority votes, but if you don't like the thought of it that much, don't worry, it wouldn't be anything major. If need be, I could always put a warning for you – and others – should it ever get to that point?)

**Raining Silver **(I'm just glad that I've actually pulled of Multiple Personality Disorder as it is. So many times I've confused myself wondering 'is it Tsuna or Tsunayoshi? Who do I write it at in _this_ moment of time?' lol. I have no honest idea of how a person would react if they found out that someone periodically took over their body, so I just put in what my reaction would have been haha...

No promises about 7227, but I don't think that it'd be completely straight out romantic either, the way that I have some ideas for it. Like I said, no promises though.

I'm glad that you like Tsunayoshi and Enma's involvement though!

Vendicare is somewhat different to canon but it definitely wasn't the best place for Tsuna.

Gokudera has his reasons, mostly awe of a Sky Flame, but I'll have him explain at some point!

I like Fon too lmao. I'm ashamed to say that may have influenced his involvement in this story...I'll try and have more interaction between Tsunayoshi and others – but at the moment he isn't too fond of Mukuro!

I've noticed that Hibari is a lot of peoples' choice, but I struggle to write him correctly so I guess that's why I'm afraid of writing him too much lol...)

**berrysplashQT **(You're excited about it too like some others lol! No promises about 7227, but I'll try my best! And okay for the hint lmao)

**Colorful Swirl King **(I want to start of random and say that it was hard for me to write your username. I'm from the UK and I almost wrote the first part as 'Colourful' completely out of habit. I deleted it a couple of times lmao.

Yup! Fluffyness! I never knew I was capable of it to be honest, but if that's what someone interprets it as, then it's fluffyness!

I'll try and get Spanner and Shouichi in, sure! I'm glad you couldn't stop squealing, lol, I feel like that sometimes about books and fanfiction and life in general lmao. I'm not making any promises about 7227 but I'd be trying my best to get some into the story at some point.

With magick, anything's possible! But I doubt that'd happen, sorry...though, it might be cute enough for a oneshot on the side if I ever got round to it or had the motivation to...

Anyway, don't worry about the ranting, I tend to ramble and rant myself!

Here's an update!)

**Mokujiroku No Kami **(I'm glad you like the story! I listened to the music, but I couldn't quite get it myself, haha...that song sounds too nice for the themes my story has lmao...

**Chapter Three Reply: **I've noticed that I'm quite bad, at some points, for cliffhangers haha!)

**Eclipsed Flower **(Somewhat HDWM Tsuna – perhaps a bit more violent and nasty lol...

**Chapter Two Reply: **Mukuro is that sort of lovable person lol – I remember putting at one point that I've sort of portrayed him as a closet pervert lmao. Glad you like Tsunayoshi!)

**Anne Fatalism Dilettante **(I haven't gotten that far into Reborn to be honest. It's interesting to me, but I have an incredibly short attention span and so I never got further than about fifty episodes.

I'm very glad you like this story, however!

I have no idea what I can write in reply to your review, just that I'm happy you appear to like it so much.)

**Quin1989 **(Glad you like those points of the story!

For Timoteo, I don't believe he could know all about it with information. He didn't about Tsunayoshi or his stay in Vendicare and he's only related to Tsuna in the fact that Timoteo knows Iemitsu and Nana.

Gokudera's reasoning will be explained in due course, but not many people are really that concerned over it, so I didn't find it imperative to say straight away why Gokudera calls Tsuna the 'Tenth' until Tsuna asks him.

Hope that makes sense to you!)

**HotChocolate **(Thank you!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Chapter Eleven – Some Not So Simple Moments**

Tsuna splashed his face gently with water from the sink before he sighed heavily and lifted his head to stare at his reflection in the mirror, the tap still running. He'd run away and hid himself in the bathroom to collect his thoughts after the conversation with his roommates. He felt a little bad about leaving Enma behind with them, when they'd probably grill him for information.

_Enma-kun can look after himself; don't worry too much about him Tsuna. How are you?_

Hesitantly approaching that part in his mind, Tsuna revealed to Tsunayoshi that he felt mostly okay. Tsunayoshi could probably tell how he felt but was polite and courteous enough to ask him directly instead of assuming. Tsunayoshi still scared him. Not much had changed there, but Tsuna had gained some sort of respect for him to a certain degree.

Just a smidgen of respect though. Tsunayoshi terrified the life out of him.

There was a timid knock at the door and Tsuna heard Enma call through softly, asking if he was okay. Tsuna replied in the positive as he twisted the tap off, reaching for a towel and drying his face and hands as he walked towards the doorway, flipping the lock of the door and tugging it open, coming eye to nose with Enma who was directly on the other side. The redhead was about an inch or two taller than him.

_Everyone is taller than us._

Tsunayoshi sounded apologetic, as if their height issues were his fault. Tsuna almost smiled. Almost.

"Is everything okay, Enma?"

"You were taking your time, Tsuna-kun. I – we – were worried."

Tsuna peered past the other teen to observe the rest of the room. The first person he met the eyes of was Gokudera, who sat up straighter on the couch as he stared at the brunette in return, worry and apprehension on his face.

"Then I'm sorry for worrying you all." Tsuna bowed his head in apology, holding in the flinch he almost gave as Enma reached forward to card slim fingers through his hair at the back of his head. Tsunayoshi seemed pleased by the action, though the reaction of Gokudera was quite explosive.

"What are you doing to the Tenth? Get your hands off of him!"

Tsuna lifted his head, and Enma's hand remained in his hair. The redhead was staring placidly at Gokudera, who had lurched to his feet. The silver haired teen was seething, his jaw clenched and his teeth grit.

"It's okay Gokudera-kun." Tsuna took half a step back so Enma's hand slid free from his brown locks. "Enma was just showing his concern."

Gokudera settled down, crossing the room towards him and elbowing Enma out of the way to the shorter teen's yelp. Looking down at Tsuna, Gokudera first moved to press his hand to Tsuna's forehead, checking his temperature, before taking hold of Tsuna's hand, squeezing it gently in both of his own. He didn't say anything, just kept his hands clasped around the brunette's.

Getting uncomfortable, Tsuna carefully worked his hand free, moving to pat Gokudera's arm in an attempt to placate the other. He got a weak smile in return, concern plain on the other's features.

Swallowing slowly, Tsuna turned to face Enma who stared impassively at him in return. Tsuna shuffled his weight and then mumbled, "Can...can you tell me of what happened in V-Vendicare?"

The room hushed for a long moment before Mukuro pushed to his feet and asked quietly, "How do you know about Vendicare, Tsuna-chan?"

Enma answered for him, twisting to face the rest of the room as he murmured, "Tsuna-kun was sent there when he was six, and left when he was ten. Left is putting it lightly, however, only Tsunayoshi-kun knows how they got out in full detail."

"I asked Tsuna-chan," Mukuro narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at Enma who cowered under the intense look. Tsuna jumped to his defence, weakly muttering, "I've had my memories altered. Enma knows more than I do."

"Would you let me in there to coax those memories out?" Mukuro asked hopefully, and Tsuna flinched at the violent response of Tsunayoshi against his mind. Tsunayoshi was vehemently against the idea of Mukuro getting anywhere inside of their shared head. Tsuna was receiving flashes of past events where he had been younger and altered with Mist Flames. The result had been losing Enma, almost five years of memory and Tsunayoshi himself.

"N-No thank you," Tsuna got out, lifting a hand to rub at a space behind his ear to try and alleviate the headache Tsunayoshi's thrashing and panicking had caused. The pain was easily and quickly smoothed by Tsunayoshi in ways of apology.

Mukuro sighed, sounding put out before he reached out, ruffled Tsuna's hair and leaned close to smile face to face with him as he replied, "That's fine by me. If you don't want anything doing, I won't do anything."

"Then please move your hand from my head. It's making Tsunayoshi very uncomfortable."

"Does he even like me?"

"Tsunayoshi hates everyone aside from Enma," Tsuna deadpanned, and Mukuro cringed away. Tsuna winced himself before he mumbled, "It's not your fault. Tsunayoshi has an intense hatred for Mist Flames because they were what altered my memories in the first place. Bouche." The name left him unbidden and Tsuna wrinkled his nose.

"Bouche-san is a member of the board," Gokudera suddenly spoke up, "From here, someone who works under and with the chairman of Vongola Academy, Timoteo-san; Nono."

For a long and frightening moment, Tsuna couldn't hear anything. Everything went silent and his vision narrowed down to a rather fine point as his mind when almost completely blank. All of his senses came back to him in a rush so suddenly that Tsuna staggered and he felt something inside of him _burn_ with hatred and contempt.

Briefly, Tsuna thought it was Tsunayoshi that was feeling so loathingly but it registered that it was himself that was thinking dark things about Timeoteo and Bouche. Then, starting up as a flicker, Tsunayoshi's own feelings reared up and Tsuna was hard pressed to stop the other from taking over and hunting down the two.

He realised he must have been still too long because a hand suddenly fell on his shoulder and gave him a timid shake, a low voice murmuring in question if he was okay.

No. He wasn't.

Tsuna didn't know if he'd said it out loud or not, but no more questions were asked as Tsuna struggled to reel in his emotions and stifle Tsunayoshi from taking over. He felt as if he was slipping in and out of conscious thought and then Tsunayoshi surged to the front.

Bracing himself to black out Tsuna instead found himself shoved to the side as Tsunayoshi took control of most functions, viciously snarling and causing those nearest to him to back away.

Tsunayoshi clenched his fists, determined to march out of the room and find Bouche and Timoteo when it came to his knowledge that Tsuna was hanging back, actually aware of what was happening. That hadn't happened in years, not since they were two. Tsunayoshi wasn't sure if he should be worried or proud.

Any pride he did have faded into concern almost immediately when Tsunayoshi realised Tsuna had access to things he hadn't before, mainly memories that Tsunayoshi had tried and succeeded to hide from him before. Tsunayoshi relinquished straight away, and shoved Tsuna violently forward.

Tsuna staggered as control came back as soon as he'd lost it, aware of everyone staring at him warily. Only Enma looked unaffected, relaxed and watching him with a lax expression, eyelids drooped slightly and giving him a sleepy sort of saddened look.

Lifting a shaky hand, Tsuna clasped it over his mouth as his eyes drifted down to watch his feet. Tsunayoshi was frantically trying to hide what Tsuna had seen, but the damage had been done. Tsuna had seen.

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna heard his voice break as he spoke, and Gokudera stiffened to attention, stepping closer.

Lifting his head to stare at the silver haired male, Tsuna asked, tone inquisitive and a tad sharper than normal, "Bouche-san and Timoteo-san. Are they at the school now and is it possible to meet them?"

* * *

"Tsuna – or am I talking to Tsunayoshi? Is this really the best thing you can think to do?"

"It's Tsunayoshi. Tsuna relinquished willingly, so don't freak out about it. And yes. This really is the best fucking thing I can think to do. Bouche and Timoteo ruined our lives; I'm going to ruin theirs."

Reborn grimaced before choosing his next words carefully.

"They're strong magick users, Tsunayoshi. What if the same outcome is a result of your trying to attack them?"

Tsunayoshi came to a stop, causing Enma to bump into his back where the redhead had been following him closely. In fact, Tsunayoshi had an entourage of people following; everyone from his dorm minus Hibari, though Tsunayoshi had the prickling feel at the back of his neck that the prefect was somewhere nearby in case fighting ensued.

Reborn's words had hit with the force of a train and Tsunayoshi felt his mouth twist down in a frown, nearly scowling at his thoughts.

"Is there any way to block Mist magick?" Tsunayoshi twisted to face Reborn, a serious expression on his face as he looked up at the elder.

"Only with another Mist user." Reborn's eyes drifted towards Mukuro and Tsunayoshi followed the direction in which he was looking, upper lip twitching as he realised what the other was silently suggesting.

"Rokudo?"

"I'm the only Mist user you know, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"There's that one that tried to find Tsuna when I lost him," Tsunayoshi offered in rebuttal, before frowning to himself again as he remembered Mammon, "Though he wasn't the best...how is it that a Mist user could help anyway?"

"I can reinforce your mind, or divert his Flames if Bouche-san attempts to use them against you."

"What if I tried to use my own Flames to try and counteract his?" Tsunayoshi stared silently at Mukuro, and the taller teen shuffled slightly, as if feeling the intensity of the look.

"That would probably work too, Tsunayoshi-kun. However, it isn't guaranteed that your mind would be protected if even the smallest amount of Flame got by. Sky Flames are diverse, but only in that they have an aspect of every other Flame. The sheer strength they hold is immense as well, but their impact is never as severe as a pure Flame. Instead they sort of have their own power. Of course, you probably know all this."

"I don't know anything about this." Tsunayoshi let his hand flare up for a moment. "Only what Tsuna has been taught in lessons and that is meagre since he held no interest in learning about Flames. He always thought magick was somewhat tedious. I suppose I scared him off of it."

"I'd explain, but now doesn't seem the time for an impromptu lesson about Flames...though if you want to face with one of the most powerful men in the world, it might do you best to leave your revenge for another day, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsunayoshi let his upper lip curl in a silent snarl and stiffened when a hand dropped gently on his shoulder, prompting him to twist and face Yamamoto, who was watching him with an expression mixed between concerned and hesitation.

"Perhaps we could go back and talk about it, Tsunayoshi? I know you're angry, but it's never the best to rush in when you can wait and steal home with no worries later."

Tsunayoshi turned his head to snort into his shoulder, trying to muffle the laugh he had almost given, asking in a tone bordering incredulous, "Did you just use a baseball analogy?" He was tired all of a sudden, his anger dissolving away. His magick was still ever stretching and expanding within him, however, and his concentration was halfway placed into keeping it under control. He was disgruntled to admit that managing a large amount of magick, even with two consciences to house it in, was very hard work.

Yamamoto relaxed – as did most of the others around him, Tsunayoshi noted – and smiled slightly, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and mumbled, "Yeah, I guess I did use a baseball analogy."

Lifting a hand, Tsunayoshi pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing at a space beneath his eye. He could feel the buzz of magick underneath his skin and the air around him was distorting. He couldn't stay much longer without falling sway to the allure of power.

"I'm letting Tsuna forward now," he finally murmured, moving to scratching at his upper arm absently. Enma stopped the movement, grasping his hand tightly in his own.

"I'm sorry that you can't gain recompense for what you have suffered through, Tsunayoshi-kun. If you should wish to try and gain answers once more, I will support you, regardless of what the outcome may be."

Tsunayoshi let his mouth quirk into a smile, and he twisted his hand to wrap his fingers around Enma's in return.

"I know."

A moment later, Tsunayoshi let himself slip back, though he forgot to give Tsuna any warning as the shift between consciences happened. As a result, Tsuna crumpled, unable to brace himself in time, shock crossing his face as he knees promptly buckled.

Almost comically, Enma was dragged down with him and the two of them clashed heads, Enma yelping out in shock and because of the pain that was now radiating in his forehead. Tsuna had hissed out between his teeth at the shock and blinked between narrowed eyes at Enma, the redhead still sprawled out on top of him.

Tsuna didn't have to worry much about the extra weight on his abdomen for long, because someone wasted no time in helping the redhead to his feet and then offering support for Tsuna. The brunette could hear a simpering at the back of his head, Tsunayoshi apologising fervently, both for not giving any warning and for not completing his promise of doing something about Bouche and Timoteo.

Not mulling on what could have been, Tsuna reached for the hand that been offered to him and let himself get dragged off of the floor, feeling oddly jittery. There was an itch under his skin he knew he couldn't reach, as well, but Tsunayoshi whispered apologies for that, muttering something about magick and excesses that Tsuna just nodded his head to.

As he lifted his head again, Tsuna was met by the puzzled expression on Yamamoto's face, the one who had pulled him from the floor, and Tsuna realised he'd probably nodded to some sort of question he hadn't heard.

"So who is it then?" Gokudera asked, tone carefully neutral, and Tsuna's eyes drifted towards the other teen.

"It's me. Ah, sorry, that probably doesn't make much sense. It's Tsuna. I'm Tsuna."

Gokudera promptly wrapped an arm around Tsuna's shoulders and tugged him close. Tsuna tensed, but didn't react violently as Tsunayoshi would have done, just gently pushing at Gokudera's collarbone to try and get him to let go.

Finally free, Tsuna gave an exhausted smile before muttering, "I'm sorry for causing all this trouble. I-It wasn't Tsunayoshi's fault though, so don't blame him. I just..." he trailed off, anguish crossing his features and the urge to cry suddenly wedging itself deep as he lifted a hand to his mouth.

He could feel his eyes watering, but didn't feel embarrassed by it, whereas in any other circumstance he may have and finally the tears spilled down his cheeks as he lifted his arm up to rub across his eyes.

"I understand, Tsuna-kun," Enma offered softly, tugging his arm away so he could offer a handkerchief. The redhead was prone to keeping one on his person because it made it simpler to clean up after he may have injured himself.

"Want to explain for the rest of us?" Mukuro asked, shifting his weight to the side as he almost anxiously observed the crying brunette. He, like the others, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Reborn, were uncomfortable with tears since they didn't know how to deal with them.

"Tsuna-kun and Tsunayoshi-kun just want compensation for what they were forced through. They weren't given a choice in the matter, they weren't asked about _their_ feelings. Everything was done without their permission and they just want to know the answers."

_We were perfectly fine without interference. I kept us safe, didn't I? We weren't hurt; the magick was kept under control..._

Tsuna dabbed at his face with the handkerchief as he heard Tsunayoshi's words echo within his head. Even though the other personality was _still_ a foreign concept to him, Tsuna felt the pain that laced the other's voice, as well as heard the truth that was heard clearly within his tone.

"We were fine and they took our life from us," Tsuna whispered under his breath, ignoring the worried looks he was given for speaking about himself in plural form. Shoving the handkerchief back at Enma, he took in a deep, shaky breath and smiled as brightly as he could.

"If we go back now, there's still enough time for me to make dinner instead of us going to the cafeteria. Anybody interested?"

* * *

"Yes, I do understand the situation Bermuda. Perhaps better than you do yourself. I have known Tsunayoshi longer than you have." The old man reclined in his chair, holding the phone to his ear as he fought to keep a frown from his face, continuing to speak. "What you did to that poor boy was little more than torture – and no, I do _not_ believe it was beneficial to magick users what you chose to do! – while we chose to help him. You know the terms of our agreement. You hold no sway over Tsunayoshi until he causes an incident of worthy notice and is labelled as dangerous. If it were my choice, I would never let you see him again, but I know that isn't how you work. Good day."

Ending the phone call that had visibly agitated him, the elderly male placed the device onto the large mahogany desk that was sat in front of him before he folded his hands on his lap, turning in his chair to peer out of the window, a frown marring his face.

"Timoteo-sama?" someone called out, looking in from doorway where one of the large ornate doors had been pushed open. "Did everything go well? Your magick spiked considerably within the last five minutes."

"Ah, Coyote. Just the man I wanted to see. Can you contact Iemitsu-san and tell him I require a meeting within? Do not, under any circumstances, let him deny this request. It is imperative that I tell him of the situation in person. Mention Tsunayoshi; that will catch his attention."

Coyote bowed at the waste before leaving, knowing not to question the chairman, simply walking away and shutting the door behind him.

Timoteo turned his chair to face the window again, fingers clasped together on his lap as he stared at the orange sky caused by the setting of the sun.

"I hope you know that I will not tolerate your presence in my school, Bermuda. If you see fit to come here, be prepared to face the consequences."

* * *

"Who is this pipsqueak, kora?" Colonello leaned in close to Tsuna's face, Tsuna edging back in discomfort, bumping against Reborn to try and avoid the blonde.

Reborn settled a hand against Tsuna's shoulder and simply proclaimed, "This is Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm going to need your Rain Flame to keep him calm when we begin the tutoring."

Colonello leaned even closer and Tsuna sucked in a breath, the discomfort picking up a notch. Tsunayoshi retaliated by slamming his fist into Colonello's face, knuckles connecting with the elder's cheekbone hard enough for Tsuna to get a flare of pain in his hand.

Reborn's hand immediately slid down Tsunayoshi's arm to tightly grip his wrist as his other arm wound around the other's front, keeping the brunette pinned with his back to Reborn's chest. When the other finally stopped thrashing Reborn let his grip loosen.

"I'd refrain from getting too close. Tsunayoshi doesn't like people invading his personal space."

"I'm sorry," Tsuna said meekly, reaching forward to offer Colonello help to his feet since the blonde had been knocked onto his backside. "Tsunayoshi doesn't really like _anyone_ that much."

Colonello jerked to his feet on his own, wiping blood away from his mouth as he stared at Tsuna, a wary expression on his face as he asked, "What the hell is going on? Reborn?"

"You're going to keep him calm while I instruct him, Colonello. How many times do I have to say it? His Sky magick is of an excessive amount and tends to well out of his control."

"Wouldn't a Lightning Flame work better for this? Barriers, kora?"

"You'd think it would, but we need Rain to keep him _calm_ Colonello. Tsunayoshi is violent if he gets out, even more so when using magick."

Tsuna spoke up then, rubbing his jaw and looking to the side, "He can't help it. The magick is strong and the call of it is hard to ignore. It sort of unlocks more...basic sort of instincts, you know? Fight or flight, kill or be killed...survival..." He dropped his eyes to examine his palm as warm Sky Flames started to flicker into life around his fingers, coalescing into a spherical shape in his hand. Tsuna had control of it for a long of moment before it disappeared into itself and the brunette winced, his palm noticeably pink from being burnt.

"That's what this tutoring is for. I'm going to teach you how to use that magick, Dame-Tsuna, and to not rely on Tsunayoshi as much. _You_ control that body, _you_ control the magick, neither of them should be able to control you instead."

"What am I missing here, kora?!" Colonello sounded irritated at being left out, fingers probing his cheekbone to feel the extent of damage, and Reborn sighed heavily.

"Tsuna has another personality within him, Tsunayoshi. Tsuna is predominant most of the time, but as soon as magick comes into it, or if danger comes into it then Tsunayoshi is out to the front."

"Then why was I hit, kora?"

"Tsunayoshi didn't like you getting so close," Tsuna broke in, scratching the back of his head. "He, uh...is very protective of me, I suppose."

_I have every reason to be Tsuna._

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I've seen enough to realise that," Tsuna had moved his hand around to mumble into it, not entirely comfortable with speaking out loud to Tsunayoshi when others were nearby to hear. He was also twitching under the stare that Colonello was giving him and, eventually, Tsuna twisted to Reborn.

"So how are you going to tutor me?"

"Sun Flames are normally used for healing, though they can be offensively used. What I'm going to do, is throw concentrated Flames at you, nothing that'll hurt more than a small electrical shock, and I want you to use magick to defend yourself. _Without_ letting Tsunayoshi take control."

Tsuna had moved to bite down on the side of his hand, ignoring the swell of threats that had started rising from Tsunayoshi to be hurled at Reborn. Some of them trickled out and Tsunayoshi barked angrily at Reborn with his moment of free time.

"What the hell do you get off on?! You're going to throw _magick_ at him? What the fuck is wrong with you? Tsuna is _sensitive!_ No way can you just throw Flame at him and not hurt him, I'm not letting y –" Tsunayoshi felt a sort of heaviness enter his limbs, and was suddenly aware of a blue flicker in the corner of his eye before Colonello's hand was gently settling on the inside of his elbow.

The anger he'd been feeling faded away into a sort of numbness, the previous rage not quite felt but definitely present. Some of it was directed at Colonello for using his Flames, but Tsunayoshi let the foreign magick work its way through his system, relaxing as was prompted and slunk back to let Tsuna come back forward.

Taking in a deep whoosh of air, Tsuna smiled weakly at Reborn, "I don't think Tsunayoshi is going to stand letting you throw magick at us."

Reborn leaned in close, his face opposite Tsuna's and apart by only a handful of inches, a smirk curving up his lips as he murmured, "Tsunayoshi doesn't have a say in this. As soon as he protests again, Colonello will intervene as needed and that will be that; he'll step back again."

Tsuna felt Tsunayoshi bristle at the words in the recesses of his mind, but the other could do nothing but sulk because Reborn's words were the truth.

"I-I suppose you're right." The moment that Tsuna's eyelids started to become heavy, Colonello's hand slipped away from his arm, and Reborn's smirk widened at the acquiescence the other had given.

Reborn pushed Tsuna back a few steps, lifting his right hand and letting Sun Flames light his ring up, facing the brunette who meekly lifted his own hand. Before anything happened, Reborn told Tsuna the incantation he would need to defend himself and the other nodded timidly.

Without even waiting to see if Tsuna was remotely ready, Reborn tossed a very mild spell at the younger teen and Tsuna yelped as it connected with his wrist. Reborn barely had time to defend himself before he had a snarling Tsunayoshi pinning him down, one burning hot hand gripping onto Reborn's jaw.

Colonello wasted no time, clasping his hand down onto the back of Tsunayoshi's neck and shoving copious amounts of soft Rain Flames into the brunette to force him to relax. He couldn't help but be a little worried for himself and Reborn when Tsunayoshi growled, even as his body went limp against his command and he slipped out of control.

Reborn pried the hot hand off of his face and proded the damaged skin with his fingertips, free hand lifting to rest on the back of Tsuna's head, the brunette hiding his mortified face against Reborn's shoulder, Colonello's hand still firmly on his nape.

"This is going to take some time," Reborn huffed out a heavy sigh, hand moving away from his stinging face to rake through his hair, his fedora long having been knocked off.

"Do I have to be here every time, kora?" Colonello asked, sounding exasperated and all Tsuna could do was whisper apologetically, telling Reborn that the tutoring didn't have to continue.

Needless to say, Reborn was adamant in teaching Tsuna to control every aspect of his life, magick and body included.

* * *

Tsuna bolted upright in his bed that night, hands fisted in the covers as he fought to regain his breath, panic jumping through his veins at a breakneck pace, nearly choking him in its intensity. He didn't care that his frantic actions might have woken up either of his slumbering roommates as he tumbled out of his bed and hurriedly made his way to the bathroom. He barely made it in time when he threw up into the toilet bowl, falling hard on his knees to the tiled flooring.

Tsunayoshi seemed to be sleeping deep in the back of his mind, and no more than this moment did Tsuna wish the personality awake to hide what he had seen, shove it away, lock it up even cut it out altogether because just thinking about it was making his stomach roll and, even though it was empty, he didn't hesitate in curling over the toilet again, body jerking in an attempt to get rid of the sickness he was feeling.

Lifting his hand, Tsuna started scratching insistently at his arm, trying to dig out something that was no longer there, despite the fact he could feel a phantom of it lodged under his skin. He choked down a sob, doing his best to keep silent now even if his retching before had been almost obscenely loud.

The conflicting feelings that were rocketing through him were all strong. He was relieved that his memories of bad times had been taken away, he was angry that they were taken in the first place, he was terrified of seeing something for what felt like the first time and how it associated with him...

He didn't want to remember, but he wished he hadn't had his memories taken and having remnants of a terrible past would have been just the same as remembering.

Dragging himself to his feet, Tsuna rest shaking, sweat slick hands against the edge of the sink, staring at his pale face in the mirror. His hair was plastered to his face with sweat, no doubt a result of the nightmare – _memory, _it wasn't a nightmare, he'd been through that – that had woke him up. As soon as his eyes had fallen shut he'd been assaulted straight away, plunged into a memory of pain, mingled with the taste of blood, the smell of antiseptic. It had been all too _real _feeling and Tsuna couldn't quite handle it as effectively as he would have liked to.

Tsuna uselessly heaved again, into the sink. All that came up was spittle and bile that burnt his throat, left a bitter taste in his mouth that he tried to spit away. Shaking hands came up from the edge of the sink reached for the toothpaste and his brush, frantically trying to scrub the taste away, vehemently ignoring that the sink was slick and shiny, dark with blood, _his_ blood, with his hands, forearms and face all in the same state of being stained red.

His imagination was getting ahead of itself, projecting images and events that were long past.

The world tilted to the side briefly, and Tsuna stumbled into the living room with his toothbrush and toothpaste, collapsing onto the sofa as he continued vehemently brushing the inside of his mouth. Something about the mundane action was calming his nerves and his eyes moved about the room, trying to pick out the time in the dark from the clock hanging on the wall.

It was either two or three in the morning, the numbers being hard to pick out and blurry. Tsuna decided he didn't really need to go back to bed, not when his sleep would be haunted with images he didn't really want to be privy to.

There was a soft whispering in the back of his mind and suddenly Tsunayoshi was present again. Tsuna was vaguely reminded of the sensation of fingers running through his mind, combing through his most recent thoughts and memories. Tsunayoshi seemed to stiffen in his mind, speechless.

Then the apologies came in a huge rush that made Tsuna sink heavily into the sofa, swallowing the foam caused by the toothbrush in his mouth and grimacing before placing the brush onto the table. He tucked his legs up beneath him and hugged onto them, just listening to Tsunayoshi's babbles, hoping it would be enough to keep him awake because his eyelids felt too heavy.

Not even the promises of keeping the nightmares and terrors at bay were enough to prompt Tsuna back into sleep. He trusted Tsunayoshi, but there was a limit, and he was afraid that if even the smallest of memories flickered through, then that would be the last straw and he would start crumbling apart and fall to pieces.

_If you won't sleep, go and get someone to sit with you. I can't support you like this, Tsuna..._

"Can you support me at all? All you are is a disembodied voice in my head and...and..."

_Exactly. Go and get someone before I get them for you._

Tsuna felt his limbs grow heavy as Tsunayoshi prepared to take over and fear skyrocketed inside of him at the thought of being lost and at the mercy of memories. Abruptly, ignoring his dizziness, Tsuna stood, wondering who he should get.

_Who are you most comfortable with?_

"I...I don't know."

_You're comfortable with Fon, aren't you? Perhaps you should wake Reborn and have him contact the other..._

Tsuna stumbled into the room, scratching insistently at his arm again until Tsunayoshi forced him to stop. He walked to the side of Reborn's bed, reaching out slowly to shake the other wake. He wasn't expecting Reborn to jerk around and grab his arm, jerking bolt right up in the bed and pointing a glowing hand towards his face.

Tsuna felt himself dissolve into tears, legs failing him as he dropped to the floor, one arm still extended above him by Reborn's grip. As soon as the other realised who it was, and what he was doing, he released Tsuna's arm.

"Tsuna? What's wrong?" Reborn stifled a yawn, flicking the side lamp on and stiffening as he realised Tsuna's state. The brunette was still pale and shivering, a sheen of sweat making his skin look shiny and clammy in the yellow lightning offered by the bulb. His eyes were already puffy, both from lack of sleep and because of his tears.

"C-Can you call F-Fon-senpai? Tsunayoshi t-thinks it's best I-I sit with someone w-who I'm comfortable with i-if I refuse to sleep."

"Tsuna, _what's wrong?"_ Reborn repeated firmly, trying not to leave any room for any protests from the brunette

"Please, R-Reborn-senpai...p-perhaps later. I-I don't want to remember r-right now."

The memories were already hovering, snippets he could see out of the edges of his eyes in the dark corners of the rooms, clear enough for him to see before Tsunayoshi promptly snatched them away, something Tsuna was grateful for.

"I understand." Reborn swung his legs around and yanked Tsuna onto the bed next to him, reaching to the bedside table to pick up his phone, flicking through his contacts until he pressed down on one of them and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Fon? It's Reborn. Yes, I do know what the time is. Before you start complaining, I need you over here to help Tsuna. Yeah, something's wrong. He won't tell me what." Reborn reached out to press the backs of his fingers to Tsuna's cold cheek and was surprised when the brunette leaned into the touch, moving to hug his knees in the same sluggish motion.

"How soon could you get here? Perfect." Reborn ended the call and set the phone down beside him on the bed, peering at Tsuna who was staring blankly at the floor, fingers gripping tightly onto his knees. Reborn reached over to rest his hand gently on top of one of Tsuna's.

"If you ever need me I'll be here for you Tsuna."

"I'll say thank you on behalf of him." Tsunayoshi peered up at Reborn with tired eyes. "But he'll probably thank you again when he comes back. I'm just trying to protect him at the moment. He isn't ready. He'll probably never be ready." Tsunayoshi huddled up, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Tsunayoshi closed his eyes, hiding the brilliant orange.

"Tsuna's too gentle for something that harsh and I'm not prepared to pick up the pieces should something within him break."

* * *

Oh god, I'm sorry it took this long to write this chapter and get it posted. I am going to blame Square-Enix because within the past weeks I've been playing Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings and The World Ends With You.

I also had a very bad reaction to some painkillers in which I had a complete emotional breakdown and scared the life out of my mum in the next room when I suddenly burst into tears and couldn't stop for about a solid fifteen minutes. Prior to that, I'd had about eight or nine more 'moments' but none quite so severe.

Physiotherapy showed that the arch in my left foot might be collapsing, so on top of seeing a person for my back, I have to see a person for my feet as well.

Piled on top of all this was the stress of getting my exam results back which would determine whether or not I got into further education. (I passed!)

Overall, I'm sorry for the lateness and excuses and I hope this chapter makes up for it.

It doesn't look all that great in my opinion.

**7227: **19 (I think it's probably going to happen, huh?)

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 15  
- Fon: 8  
- Skull: 1  
- Luce: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 8  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 11  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 3  
Hibari Kyoya: 14  
Lambo: 2  
Dino: 3  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 9  
- Squalo: 1  
- Belphegor: 2  
Giotto: 8  
G: 1  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 9  
Daemon: 2  
Enma: 5  
Byakuran: 3  
Basil: 2


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Guest** (Haha, I hope you've been stalking this long for this update! Sorry it took so long though, hope it was worth it!)

**Yuu3 **(I don't think Hibari would let anyone see lol. I'm not going to justify what his parents did, however. I'm going to let Tsuna/Tsunayoshi decided how they're going to deal with that landmine.)

**Tujing** (Here's the next chapter and sorry for the wait! Haha, I hope I'll get better too, but it'll probably take a couple of years lol))

**Sleepdeprived91 **(I like R27 too. Glad you liked the last chapter and hope you like this one too!)

**Seriyuu **(I was never planning on them being evil in the first place, but I totally understand if that's how it came across. They were just doing what was asked of them/what was best. I doubt they'll be easily forgiven, if at all to be honest. They put Tsuna through quite a bit of trauma just by their actions. Sorry the update wasn't all that soon, but here it is!)

**Sachiel Angelo **(I'm glad you still like the story after all this time. I didn't want the problem to be one that could easily be fixed. No quick or simply cures. In fact, now that I think about it, Tsuna would probably have some sort of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and then that adds a whole new problem should that manifest.

I've actually been given insoles to wear. I have to wear them all day in my shoes – they're painful but the good thing is that it means I can wear my trainers to school instead of school shoes haha. Even with the insoles they're much comfier.)

**Soul Vrazy **(Haha, it just depends on what extent it happens! Enma as well, of course, because he's a special person in Tsunayoshi's eyes, even if Tsuna hasn't seen him that way yet)

**BrokenBlackCat **(It might take some time, but perhaps Tsuna'll eventually get better! It really depends on how I feel haha...sorry for the long wait!)

**Shanagi95 **(Tsuna refused to use magick because of his fear and total disregard of it. It was a foreign concept that he barely understood and he refused to use it because of how strange it was to him.)

**Pokermaniac039 **(I'm sorry for the long wait, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!)

**BerrysplashQT **(Thanks! Sorry for the lack of update in a long, long time, but school got on top of me. I agree with the 7227 comment; it really is hard to find some interactions of them in my opinion, though I have yet to decide what sort of relationship they'll have.)

**Shiro Zaffiro Di Lussaria **(I just really, really like your name lmao. I have no idea why.

Lots of people did request 7227 in the first place lol, it was a really popular option.

Apologies for the wait!)

**Taira-keimei **(You're welcome and here's the next chapter!)

**Naruta13 **(I'm glad you like that part. To be honest I like writing psychological breakdowns. I know there is a lot of raw feeling involved and it's interesting in trying to find out what I think they'll be experiencing and thinking at the time.

There'll be more snippets, don't worry! It'll all come through eventually, so there'll definitely be other flashbacks.)

**SelfCreatedCharacter **(Yup! A lot of the characters are afraid of wary of Tsunayoshi. Reborn reckons that if Tsuna gains control of his magick and life, then Tsunayoshi won't be present as often.

Yes, there will be other pairings sooner or later, I just feel the pace we're going at that it might be unsuitable to stick romance in during this time. Honestly, I'm just afraid of sticking a relationship in too soon when they barely know each other.

One vote for Reborn!)

**xxxKimi-chan **(Oh, he's a sweet thing really. Unfortunately he's been very upset lately because we bought a kitten about three weeks ago – he's only 20 weeks old or so – and now Smudge is getting to be very antisocial almost. We hope it's a phase though, and that it won't last. Actually, while I'm typing this, the two of them are playfighting – at least we hope its playfighting! They aren't hissing and growling at each other anymore.

Being stuck gives me time to think and read over what I've already written. To be honest, half of the time it frustrates me to no end, the other half it inspires me to get rid of something here and something there and then change the chapter entirely haha...

In my opinion, the Vindice were always creepy and on the sides. We never really knew what they did except for a few glimpses – that may have changed since I haven't read many recent manga chapters because of school work – and so that gives me quite a bit to work with. Besides, I'm not fussed if it doesn't correspond to canon, because this story is AU anyway lol.

Don't worry about the length of your reviews! It sincerely does make me happy to read them, especially when they're long. I don't know why though, I just genuinely do get happy.

Anyway, I'm sorry for the lack of update in a long time – two months nearly! – and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you _very_ much for your concern as well!)

**Miss Di **(Thank you!)

**XxKatelynnexX **(It seems that I did take as long as I wanted lmao, considering how long it _has_ been exactly. And I'm glad there's another Square-Enix fan! I wanted to play the next Kingdom Hearts, but because it's for the 3DS and because I wouldn't use it for anything else, I didn't see the point in getting one.

Here's the next chapter and thank you!)

**Ezcap1st **(It was the last of my free time, so I wanted to get something in before I had to start sixth form, haha...Thanks for the concern!

For them, it's mostly been Tsunayoshi and Tsuna just by themselves, no outsiders, so it's hard to bring new people into the 'fold' as it were, because Tsunayoshi doesn't know how trustworthy they are, or if they can actually help or just be a hindrance, and so he is incredibly protective to the point of causing someone bodily harm as has been demonstrated.

As for Enma, I wanted _someone_ to at least have an emotional connection to Tsunayoshi that he could trust because otherwise he might not have developed to start accepting others as easily.

I find, that for his harsh exterior, Gokudera is actually a caring sort of person for someone he regards as a friend, and that's why he finds the need to get so close lmao. Sorry that it irks you.)

**Mangopudding **(He just wants Tsuna to better control his magick so Tsunayoshi isn't so much of a problem but yes, he is pretty adamant about it.)

**Akainokami **(Haha, you wait in the background all you want!)

**Quin1989 **(Thank you! Hope I didn't leave you waiting too long for the update)

**Saphire644 **(Sorry for the late update, but thank you! Here's the next chapter)

**Schwarzien.D'Seventh **(Is that a good thing or not? I'm glad that I put a lot of emotion into it though lol. That's sometimes a worry, wondering if you've expressed the feeling correctly.

I like the thought of Tsuna and Tsunayoshi rebuilding the relationship they once had, so I get why he seems like a big protective dog haha.

Colonello definitely wasn't expecting anything there bless him, but Tsunayoshi felt endangered so he took action. That scene was most likely coincidental, but it's been so long that I actually can't remember whether or not I meant it on purpose lmao.

Sorry it took so long, but here's an update!)

**Zex **(Here's an update! The voting is for so you can see more of that character in upcoming chapters, though it isn't entirely accurate because I'm bad at planning them all in haha...

Votes for Reborn, Byakuran and Luce are fine!)

**FireflyAliceXIII **(Thank you very much! Sorry the update wasn't that soon though, but there's one vote for Byakuran!)

**Codebamboo **(**Ch. 1: **I just couldn't decide on one pairing so I thought to myself, why not several? Lmao, my mind works in some strange ways at times.

**Ch. 2: **Well, in my opinion, Tsunayoshi isn't trying to traumatise him but, in fact, is trying to genuinely help and being rejected for it. Giotto was fun to write for that chapter though lol

**Ch. 3: **Haha, I couldn't help but right Mukuro that way. I don't know why, it's just how he feels to me, as well as being an exceptional Mist user and being scary when he wants.

**Ch. 4: **To be honest, the point with Skull was me playing favourites to some degree. I really like Skull lol. Don't know why, but he seems like a cutie when he wants to be, and if he gets a chance to get one over Reborn then why not?

**Ch. 5: **Hibari was the hardest to get in. I absolutely _hated_ it and I still despise writing him because I don't know _what_ to write for him. And Yamamoto is somewhat getting lucky in that retrospect lmao. Tsunayoshi is the type to fight first and ask later.

**Ch. 6: **Lots of stuff happened in his past lmao. You'll just have to find out.

**Ch. 7: **We can be sure that they absolutely hate rooming together, but the combined interest of Tsuna and Tsunayoshi keeps them away from each other's throat about fifty percent of the time haha.

**Ch. 8: **Well, what were you expecting from Mukuro? And Tsuna's reaction is only like that because he hasn't experienced much affection before in his life. He wasn't sure how to respond.

**Ch. 9: **I don't think I'd _ever_ be able to make the Vongola out to be intentional bad guys to be honest. I don't know why, but I've never seen them as anything buy supportive and good however they can be.

**Ch. 10: **A lot of people have been commenting on that lol, that the recent hate for the Vindice has grown. I didn't realise that, but I'd put it like that anyway because they seemed like a good group of protagonists.

**Ch. 11: **Timoteo - and Tsuna's parents as well - were only trying to do what they thought was the best, even if the choice was the bad one. I think Reborn had enough situation awareness not to force Tsuna into anything otherwise he might have been punched in the face by Tsunayoshi lol.

Glad you like the story/chapters and sorry for the wait!)

**Saki-nee **(Thank you! I'm glad that you like my story at any rate! Here's an update, sorry for the delay!)

**sUSHI SHI SHI **(Haha, I hope I get better soon as well, but at the moment it's just pain management and all that nonsense. Glad you liked the chapter, and if you want Lal Mirch in there, I could probably get her in at some point!)

**Leonecielo **(Well, I'm sorry for the wait you must've had for this chapter haha. I'm glad you like the story and it just seems natural to me to write long chapters lol.

Giotto and Tsuna _aren't_ related in this story. I didn't want them to be otherwise it might have been hard to instigate a relationship between them lmao.

I'll put a vote for Hibari! A lot of people agree with your opinion though, that the interaction between Tsuna and Tsunayoshi is enough as it is right now and doesn't need to be changed.

Here's the next chapter!)

**Saiotto **(Thank you and glad you like the story! Here's the next chapter!)

**7227 **(That's perfectly fine! And thank you very much for your concern!)

**Chibi Sasori **(I'm glad you like the pairings and pairings to be lmao. I'm partial to various pairings and so I decided to stick them all in at once instead of being forced to choose haha.

Thank you very much for the concern and I hope you like this update!)

**Chapter Twelve – Twisted Meetings**

"Are you tired yet, Tsuna?" Fon quietly asked the brunette that was perched on the couch next to him, incredibly tense. Tsuna looked ready to throw himself off of the edge of the piece of furniture without a moment's notice.

"I'm not going to go back to sleep, Fon-senpai," Tsuna replied in a voice that bordered on broken, fear reflected in his words. It almost broke the elder's heart; the tone of voice that Tsuna used made it sound as if he'd simply given up on everything good in the world.

"Do you want to tell me why?"

The rigidness of Tsuna's body picked up a notch, and Fon waited with bated breath as he watched Tsuna's spine stiffen, causing him to straighten up further on the couch. Fon had been keeping himself from asking out of worry, but he wanted to know, so he could help.

After a moment of terse silence, Tsuna seemed to crumble apart in front of Fon's eyes, a terrified expression crossing the brunette's face which was quickly followed by the frantic movement of the younger of the two lurching to his feet, eyes darting about the room in fear.

Fon touched the inside of Tsuna's elbow, trying to placate him, and whatever was left of the other fell to pieces. The brunette flinched so violently, collapsing onto the couch in the movement, that Fon cringed and closed his hand around the younger's arm, thumb rubbing gentle placating circles into soft skin.

"If you refuse to sleep, is there anything else I can help you with Tsuna?"

Tsuna chose not to reply for a long moment, before he twisted himself on the couch and tucked his body up into Fon's side, reaching across a small, trembling hand to grip onto Fon's that was still resting on his arm.

"F-For now, please stay with me. T-That is all I ask."

A small smile, completely unbefitting of the situation, twitched across Fon's lips as he lifted his free hand to cradle Tsuna's head, holding the small teen to his side, still even so gently rubbing his arm.

"There was no need to ask Tsuna. I would have done so anyway."

The moment of comfortable silence that followed stretched for what felt like a very long time before Tsuna decided to speak again.

"I thought it was a dream," he began carefully, voice neutral and controlled. His eyes were downcast, focused on his lap, and Fon was hard pressed to keep himself from feeling pity when he knew Tsuna would not want it. Well, at the very least, Tsunayoshi would disapprove of it anyway.

Instead, Fon remained quiet, saying nothing and doing nothing save for watching the far wall and offering comfort as best as he could.

"Well, I suppose now it was more of a memory, than a dream." Taking in a shuddering breath, Tsuna shifted his position, trying to get comfortable and to try and keep himself more or less calm. When he was sure he wouldn't start having a panic attack or fall apart, he carried on talking, voice a low murmur, "It all seemed too _clear_ for that though. And when I woke up and it was still fresh in my mind, I knew. I _knew_ it wasn't a dream and that that had actually happened, it wasn't a freakishly realistic nightmare but a memory and – " Tsuna's voice cracked and, unbidden, his magick started welling, the unusually subdued Tsunayoshi stirring in his mind.

Fon tightened his hand on Tsuna's arm. The fingers of his other hand were still gently tangled within Tsuna's hair, keeping the smaller boy held against his side. At the well known sensation of being watched, Fon lifted his eyes to meet Reborn's across the room.

The other male was in the doorway of his the small hallway that led to the bedrooms, arms crossed loosely against his chest, his expression grim. He was being unnaturally silent, and Tsuna hadn't yet noticed him.

Ever so slowly, Reborn lifted his hand and placed a finger against his lips, silently telling Fon to keep quiet about his being there and, almost imperceptibly, Fon nodded. He looked away from Reborn when Tsuna started speaking again.

"I was eight, you know, when I learnt that 'vivisection' meant the cutting open of a living specimen. It's commonly known as surgery. You're normally under anaesthetic for it." Tsuna's voice was no longer quivering and had, instead, turned frighteningly blank. "Vivisection, on a human, has been classed as a form of torture. They only gave me something to stop me moving even when I could still feel everything. Just tied me down ever so tightly, so that I had no hope of escape. No hope of getting away from what was going to happen. I didn't know what they were going to do, I had _no_ idea and then they..." magick flared from his being, warm and bitingly sharp, the presence of it enough that it gave the sensation of pins and needles to Fon's arms. The very presence of it told Fon of Tsuna's reluctance to speak and fear.

Though, if he had to admit, Fon himself was finding it hard to keep in his own magick and anger just from hearing what Tsuna was telling him. Reborn was still in the doorway and seemed to be the same state of tightly leashed anger.

Fon chose to speak then, moving both of his hands to Tsuna's face, making the brunette look at him.

"You don't have to say any more Tsuna. You suffered, I understand that. You don't have to suffer now. I promise you."

For the first time, at that point, Fon was given the opportunity to watch the colour in Tsuna's eyes change close up. The brown colour lightened in shade, spreading from the middle out before the blaze of orange overcame the previously soft shades.

"The thing is, Fon-senpai," Tsunayoshi began, lifting his hands and resting them on Fon's, a cold and mocking smile on his face. "Is that for so long as we exist in tandem, Tsuna and I, we will always have to suffer. That is the bitter part, isn't it? Staying as we are will slowly break Tsuna apart, piece by piece, yet our separation will only lead to his death." Tsunayoshi tightened his fingers on Fon's hands, mouth twisting in a sneer. "Do not keep promises you cannot even hope to keep."

Fon listened with a soft expression, taking in Tsunayoshi's words before he murmured, "You hate me for what I want to offer, yet you wish you were in my position yourself." He ignored Tsunayoshi's soft flinch of surprise and Fon leaned forward to place his lips to the brunette's forehead, whispering, "Your eyes are so sad, Tsunayoshi-kun. You want to help Tsuna, but in doing so you will either hurt him more or end his life." Fon rubbed his thumb across the side of Tsunayoshi's head. "Don't you think that I can help Tsuna in your stead?"

Tsunayoshi, for once, was shocked, speechless and motionless, staring up at Fon with wide, almost unassuming eyes. The sneer on his face had slowly slipped away from his mouth to gape just slightly open as he listened, unable to find the words to reply. He eventually closed his mouth and moved his hand to slap both of Fon's hands away from his face, though the motion lacked any of his usual harshness.

Quietly, in such a voice that Fon had only heard on the desperately broken Tsuna, Tsunayoshi replied, "Please. I will ask you sincerely this time, Fon-senpai. I will beg this of you if I have to, but do not make promises that you cannot keep."

Fon let a small smile cross his face as he moved a hand to rest on Tsunayoshi's head, pulling him forwards until the brunette's forehead touched his collarbone as he cradled him close.

"Do not worry Tsunayoshi-kun. This is one promise that I intend to keep, even I have to move the earth and sky to do so."

* * *

_The bed was uncomfortable and the blanket was far too thin. Tsuna had huddled into the corner of the bed closest to the wall, wrapped in the thin material he'd been given. The pillow under his cheek was somewhat stuck to his skin because of the tears he had been shedding._

_Everything about his being _ached._ His arms, his legs, his face. He felt the pain all the way down to his bones. The intensity of it all, of everything, was enough to have kept Tsunayoshi quiet. Tsuna had been left alone in his mind for days upon days. Probably weeks now. He didn't know how long he had been here for, wherever 'here' even was. Probably a long time by now._

_Tsuna was startled when the door violently slammed open and Bermuda strode in, followed by two men in the white outfits that always, _always_ meant Tsuna was about to be hurt. That was what his short? Long? stay had equated to. People in white outfits caused harm._

_Swallowing down the whimper, he curled himself further into the wall and gave a choked yelp when fingers hooked themselves in the collar that had been latched around his neck, giving a sharp yank at it. His own fingers scrabbled at the bed covers, trying to find purchase, but within moments he was dragged from the bed and onto the floor, the tips of his toes barely touching the floor._

_The grip on his collar was forcing the cold metal against his throat, slowly starving him of air. When his vision started to spot black, he heard Bermuda say something, muted by the sound of blood rushing in his ears and suddenly he was dropped, air rushing into his lungs._

_A large hand clasped down on his wrist and pulled him to stand. He barely had time to catch his breath before he was being tugged towards the door, stumbling on his weak legs and sore feet._

_Tsuna let himself be pulled down the corridor, knowing that struggling would only hurt more than it was right now with the bruising grip around his arm. After what felt like an age of walking to his abused body, he was shoved into a white, brightly lit room. It took him only a few moments to register the shiny glint of some sharp instruments and then fear reared sharply in his mind._

_His magick, which was weakened by the Lightning collar around his neck flared suddenly and strongly with his imminent panic, his body trying to catch up with his mind to _move, move! Run!

_And then the collar was crackling around his neck with answering magick, squashing his Sky flames close with an uncomfortably tight-fitting barrier which chafed and grazed painfully against his sore skin, enough for him to whine and whimper uselessly._

_As usual, since this happened often, his struggles were ignored, and he was lifted by his shoulders and placed down on a cold metal table that was bolted down in the middle of the room. It was reminiscent to the one that Tsuna had first woken up on when arriving at the Vendicare facility._

_The only difference was the sharp, _sharp_ tools on the table adjacent to the dull metal platform that Tsuna was currently being shackled to even as he kicked and scraped and shouted._

_His heart almost stopped when he felt the rustling of Tsunayoshi at the back of his mind and he had half a mind to sob with happiness. That was when the needle slid into his arm._

_For a blissfully long moment, Tsuna wished that what he had been given would knock him unconscious as his body slowly began to become heavier and heavier. Then, he realised he was still wide awake and could still feel. The table was cold and his skin still burned from the residues of Lightning magick and Sky magick so that was some sort of compromise to how he felt. It helped very little._

_His eyes met Bermuda's face as the tall man stood over him, bandaged fingers delicately picking up one of the shiny pieces of equipment from the small table and Tsuna's eyes focused on the instrument – scalpel, his mind provided. He'd seen one before, perhaps a couple of days (couple of weeks?) before. _

_Though he couldn't see Bermuda's face because of the bandages, Tsuna was almost certain that the man was grinning._

"_This, Sawada, is what is called a 'vivisection'. We hope to learn how your magick works through your system by observing your internal organs and overall rate of healing while you are alive and conscious." Bermuda leaned forward, the sharp tip of the scalpel he held pressing against Tsuna's breastbone._

_The thunder of his heartbeat echoed in Tsuna's ears as Bermuda pressed down and blood welled. For a split second, Tsuna thought that whatever the syringe held had turned him numb and then the pain hit him with the force of an earthquake, his vision gaining splotches of white._

_He inhaled to scream, and that was when Tsunayoshi pushed forward in the blaze of agony and, though Tsuna felt bad for Tsunayoshi, he was delighted to fade into the background, the pain disappearing as quickly as it had exploded along his nerve endings._

_All he could really think at that small moment of time was that he was glad Tsunayoshi was still with him after all of this and the overwhelming guilt that Tsunayoshi was taking the pain for him._

* * *

Half an hour after Tsuna's revelation, the teen, still cradled against Fon's shoulder by the elder's hand, had slipped away into sleep somewhat forcefully by Tsunayoshi. Reborn was sat on the Tsuna's other side, his hand pressed to his mouth and his eyes shadowed with anger and thought.

Fon was slumped back against the couch so Tsuna was resting more comfortably against his front, one hand on Tsuna's hair and the other against his back, rubbing gentle circles.

"Tsuna mentioned Vendicare the other day," Reborn finally murmured around his hand. There was a soft light shining from the ring on his hand that he couldn't quite contain, his magick swirling around the yellow jewel. "Do you think Bermuda is involved?"

Fon paused in his movements, eyes lifting away from Tsuna to Reborn, voice low as he asked, "Do _you_ think Bermuda is involved?"

"I can't think of anyone else acting so disgustingly. Bermuda was always power hungry. I wouldn't put him past trying to find out what it is of Tsuna that makes his magick well out of control. I would want to make sure though, either by asking Tsuna or by asking that Kozato kid instead."

"Asking Tsuna seems dangerous with Tsunayoshi, don't you think? Kozato would probably be the safe option Reborn. But leave it until later. Help me move him."

"Is that wise? What if he wakes up?"

"That's what I'm worried about. If he wakes up with me so close, then Tsunayoshi may not react favourably. It isn't the best way to instigate a friendship with him if I'm violating his trust or invading his personal space."

"I've been meaning to ask about that." Reborn lifted his hand from his mouth, scrutinising Fon carefully and closely. "We've already determined that Tsunayoshi is a dangerous person. Why are you trying to develop a relationship with him?"

"Why are you attempting to ostracise him?" Fon shifted his weight and attempted moving Tsuna by himself. Reborn slowly moved to help and, between them, the two elder teens managed to move Tsuna into the bedroom, carefully placing him on the bed.

Fon moved to pull away when slim fingers gripped with surprising strength on the edge of his shirt, orange eyes peering up at him from between thin slits, Tsunayoshi barely opening his eyelids to stare at the older male.

"Stay."

Fon patted his hand and nodded gently tugging his grip loose to place Tsunayoshi's hand on the bed next to him, waiting until the brunette's eyes closed before he looked up at Reborn and then left the room.

* * *

They both ignored the fact that Hibari and Mukuro were no doubt watching, because the sound of them breathing from deep sleep had gone silent.

Tsuna startled himself awake, floundering as he attempted to sit up and only falling back against the bed again. He could feel his heartbeat thumping in his throat and a muscle twitching in his cheek, but he couldn't remember what had scared him. A restless stirring in his mind made him realise that Tsunayoshi had probably whisked away his fears before they had even taken root.

Sluggishly, he relaxed into the bed again, realising half of his panic was because he was tangled in the sheets and covers. Letting his breathing even out again, he let his eyes slowly drift to the side so he could observe his clock and, even though it was around six in the morning, and even though his limbs were still heavy with sleep, he forced himself to tumble out of the bed.

Shuffling to his feet, Tsuna froze mid-step towards the door as he remembered the events of the night before, losing his balance because of being on foot and slumping back onto the bed. Bile quickly rose in his throat, but he swallowed it down, lifting a hand to press to his shoulder, fingertips brushing against where the scar would begin if his shirt wasn't in the way.

He wasn't sure if what he had dreamt had caused that scar. It didn't quite match where the scalpel had made its mark.

_The scar was gained at a different time, Tsuna. Our magick healed the first. Almost quicker than they could cause damage, actually._

Tsuna exhaled heavily in acquiescence of Tsunayoshi's words, collecting himself together and standing again, fingers still pressed firmly against his shoulder. If he concentrated, he could feel the ridge of the scar beneath the tips of his fingers. He suddenly realised that he most likely hadn't gotten the scar from an accident, as he had been led to believe.

Tsunayoshi just gave him quiet affirmation that the scar wasn't from an accident, though he didn't give any further details as to what might have happened. Tsuna was glad for that. He wasn't sure if his mind – or his stomach – could stand any details, gruesome or otherwise.

However, it added another mystery to his life and, at the moment, there were too many to count.

Shaking his head violently, Tsuna gathered up his school uniform and walked out of the bedroom and into the hallway towards the bathroom, shutting himself in the room and closing the door behind him, making sure to flip the lock.

Ten minutes later, he was climbing out of the shower and tucking a towel around his waist, staring at his reflection in the foggy mirror, fingers scratching at the scar across his front. Unbidden, his hand moved across to pick at his arm but he forced himself to drop the limb to rest by his side before he scratched himself enough to cause blood.

He couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was something under his skin, lodged there even if he couldn't see it. There was a razor on the side that one of his roommates used to shave – he thinks it belongs to Reborn – and it would be so easy to use the sharp edge to dig at his skin and find out what was irritating him.

Tsunayoshi took control of his movements in a blaze of pain across his temples, jerking his arms around to gather his clothes and start getting him dressed and Tsuna realised what on earth he had been thinking about doing. As soon as his clothes were on and his shirt tucked in neatly, the tie neatly knotted around his neck, Tsunayoshi gently herded Tsuna back to the forefront of control.

Tsuna went to apologise, but Tsunayoshi beat him to the punch.

_Don't worry. It's what I'm here for; to protect you._

Staying silent, Tsuna gathered up his nightclothes, unlocked and opened the bathroom door, and made his way back to the bedroom. On the way, he edged by Mukuro, who gave him a cursory, worried glance before continuing his walk to the living room as Tsuna went to dump the clothes on his bed.

By this point, Hibari was neatly making his bed, giving Tsuna side looks that made him stiffen in anticipation of being attacked or verbally abused. As soon as the clothes left his arms, Tsuna was out of the bedroom like a shot and quickly walking towards the kitchen, aiming to get something to eat or to do something that would take his mind off of everything.

He stepped into the living room and was surprised to see that Fon of all people was sat on the end of the couch in the clothes from the night before with a blanket folded neatly next to him.

"F-Fon-senpai? Did you stay here all night?" Tsuna asked quietly, unable to help himself from smiling as Fon smiled in greeting at him before replying.

"Yes, I did stay the night."

"Was it my fault? I-I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. I agreed to stay."

"Well, thank you." Tsuna nervously shuffled his feet and jumped when an arm dropped around his shoulders. He looked up and promptly had Reborn's fedora shoved down on top of his head, which ended up obscuring his vision. With Reborn's arm still around his shoulder, Tsuna was led across the room and the hat was removed when he was in the kitchen. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Tsuna noticed that Reborn had shut the door and blocked it with his body.

"Fon suggested that it would be better for us to ask Kozato this, but while you were in Vendicare – " Reborn noted the flinch Tsuna gave at the name – "did you meet anyone called 'Bermuda'?"

Tsuna felt his muscles lock up and Tsunayoshi inched himself forwards, pressing against the edge of Tsuna's conscience, akin to a gentle and very noticeable pressure.

"Just a nod or a shake will suffice, Tsuna." Reborn prompted gently, reaching out to rest a hand gently on Tsuna's shoulder.

Swallowing thickly, Tsuna shrugged his shoulder to dislodge Reborn's hand, backing away until he was leaning against a counter, arms folded across his abdomen. Carefully, he nodded his head forward, trying to get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach from hearing the name.

"That's all I wanted to know." Reborn left without approaching him, which Tsuna was thankful for as he slumped against the counter, suddenly finding it hard to breathe like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Tsunayoshi was a warm and comforting presence, as if he were wrapped tightly around Tsuna's being and Tsuna felt himself easily start to relax again, inhaling deeply through his nose as he tried to dispel the conversation from his mind.

With still faintly trembling hands, Tsuna started about making himself something to eat and drink, making more mess than usual because of how far away his mind was. Too many questions were still left unanswered. He wasn't sure if he was angry or happy about that anymore. Tsunayoshi refused to shed any light on the situation.

Firmly and resolutely, Tsuna pushed the issue to the back of his mind and tried his best to ignore what was going on around him and certainly within him,because at the moment, it was far too confusing and the puzzle of his life was missing too many pieces.

* * *

Tsuna settled behind his desk slowly, placing his back on the floor as he leaned to rest his elbow on the table in front of him, free hand doodling shapes with his finger against the pitted wooden surface. He was a little early for the lesson, having been distracted for most of the morning anyway. The rest of the class were, thankfully, leaving him alone.

Unbidden, his fingers twitched towards his arm though he simply and slowly folded his arms, hugging himself with the movement. When the door opened and their teacher walked in, Tsuna patiently waited for the lesson to being. Instead, the man walked down the aisle to face Tsuna before murmuring, "You're expected in the main office at the front of the building. Take your things."

Feeling the eyes on his back and meeting the concerned gaze of Yamamoto to his side, Tsuna scooped up his bag, stood and quietly left the classroom. He wondered what he may have done, or if Tsunayoshi had done anything. The indignation of the other suggested that no, Tsunayoshi hadn't done anything.

Forcing himself to walk slow, so he wouldn't have to get there anytime soon, Tsuna slowed down his pace and hitched the strap of his bag higher up on his shoulder as he stared out of the window. Dark clouds were starting to gather in the sky. It would probably rain like it had the other day.

He had just reached the door to the office, when it suddenly swung open, almost smacking him in the face. Tsuna hurriedly stepped back, an apology ready to be said when he looked up and the words died in his throat.

Iemitsu stood in the doorway, choosing to rub the back of his neck and clearing his throat awkwardly. This lapse of character was only brief before he threw his arms around Tsuna enthusiastically, hugging him tightly and booming, "Tsuna my boy, how are you?"

Tsuna simply let his arms hang by his sides, while Tsunayoshi clawed at the inside of his head. Static was all Tsuna could really hear anyway.

When Iemitsu let go, Tsuna pointedly ignored his confused and concerned look and asked, in a quiet voice, "Why are you here?"

"I was called here about you." Iemitsu frowned. "You weren't told?"

Tsuna shook his head slowly, trying to shove Tsunayoshi down as he struggled and scrambled for leverage so he could show Iemitsu exactly what he thought about him.

_He was supposed to care for you! He sent you - me,_ us -_ away twice! And both times _hurt_ you._

"I'm guessing it was because I was attacked?"

From the expression on Iemitsu's face he hadn't realised that and Tsuna chose not to elaborate. He knew, just _knew_ that if Iemitsu caught wind of Tsunayoshi, had he not already found out, then something would happen. He didn't know _what_ would happen, but something would.

"Attacked?" Iemitsu asked softly.

"It's all okay now. I was healed to be better than new, and someone or something killed the guy that did it." Tsuna forced a smile, reaching to pat Iemitsu's arm gently. "Is mother here?"

"She had to stay home Tsuna. Are you here to see the Chairman?"

"I don't know. I was just told by my teacher to come to the main office. I suppose that it's the Chairman's office."

Iemitsu nodded. "I can't stay, but it was nice to see you. I'll tell Nana how our boy is doing." He reached out for another hug, but Tsuna ducked to the side, averting his eyes because he didn't want Tsunayoshi to get angry and frustrated again.

"I'd best go and see the Chairman. Tell mom I love her." Tsuna's mouth felt dry and the words sounded hollow to his ears, but the way Iemitsu beamed showed that Tsuna had put the right infection into his voice. "I love you too, dad. See you later." Tsuna reached out and patted Iemitsu's arm again, if a little awkwardly this time, before he walked through the door Iemitsu had walked out of, letting the heavy wood shut closed behind him.

Until the last gap had been shut, Tsuna had felt Iemitsu's eyes on him the entire time.

The lady behind the only desk in the room glanced up at him when he entered and gave a reassuring smile before simply gesturing to the doorway across the room.

"You must be Sawada Tsunayoshi-san, right? It's through that door and up the first set of stairs you come to. There should be someone to guide you the rest of the way."

Tsuna nodded and followed the directions, walking up the stairs slowly. He stopped halfway up, leaning against the barrier because Tsunayoshi was still riled up and twisting restlessly inside of his mind. It was getting to the point where it was a horrible ache right behind his eyes.

_Iemitsu and Nana were supposed to _help_ you not hurt you._

Tsuna offered up that maybe, just maybe, they hadn't known what they were putting him through. That they blocked the memories he had out of guilt for what he had gone through and Tsunayoshi simply hissed angrily at him.

"Sawada-san?" a voice broke his turmoil and he blinked up the stairs to look at an old man who was staring down at him. Timidly, he nodded and the man twisted to gesture him up, walking off as Tsuna jogged up towards him, trying to ignore the strong feelings Tsunayoshi was giving off.

He was led down a decorated hallway and stopped next to his guide in front a large set of ornate double doors. Looking up, the elder man simply peered down at him and knocked on the door, before silently swinging it open, urging Tsuna in.

Tsuna scooted in, eyes on his feet. He knew, from hearing from Gokudera, that the Chairman was called Timoteo, normally referred to as 'Nono'. This man was also the one that had helped with the removal of Tsuna's memories and had helped, as a result, with the removal of Tsunayoshi.

There was a roaring in his ears that got steadily louder as he lifted his eyes from the floor and they met the kindly eyes of the man across the room that was seated behind the desk.

"Tsuna," Timoteo greeted warmly. Tsuna barely heard him yet Tsunayoshi gritted out the answer for him, "You asked to see me?"

"Yes, yes. Please, sit." Timoteo gestured to a seat that was across from the desk and Tsuna slowly moved forward until he was by the seat and sat down on it, perching on the end of it and clasping his hands tightly on his knees to stop himself from doing anything rash.

There was a cold sweat on the back of his neck and the heat of his hands, of his bottled up magick, was starting to burn his knees and plain just starting to _hurt._ He didn't realise Timoteo had spoken until the old man asked again, "Are you okay Tsuna?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Why am I here?" Tsuna heard the words leaving him and wasn't sure if they were his, or Tsunayoshi.

"I've heard of several instances founded around you lately Tsuna. As you may or may not know, I'm very close to your family. I like to think of you as my grandchild, though this isn't the issue I wish to discuss." Timoteo let his fingers steeple together, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his interwoven fingers.

Tsuna stared passively at him, waiting for him to continue speaking and Timoteo briefly pursed his lips.

"These...attacks on you, these instances of magick. Are you okay? Is there anything you need to talk about? It's only speculation and worry but..."

_He doesn't know that we're here together, and yet he doesn't want to give out enough information to make you start questioning. It isn't as if it matters. I'm here and he doesn't know that. He doesn't need to know that, no matter how much I'd like to rub it in his face._

"I'm fine," Tsuna let his mouth curve in a small and hopefully genuine smile. "In fact, I'm doing better than I have for the first few years here, as I've made some friends."

"Friends?" Tsuna was certain there was a hint of apprehension in Timoteo's voice.

"Mmhmm. Reborn-senpai, Giotto-senpai, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun, just to name a few. Some of them have moved into my dormitory as well, so they're there if I need them. In fact, if this is all, could I leave? I don't want to miss anymore lessons than I have been already." Tsuna was already climbing out of his seat and Timoteo just watched him.

"Tsuna," Timoteo began. "Could you come visit me again next week at the same time? I'd like to catch up with you again." He smiled and Tsuna felt something in his stomach sink with fear as he watched the kind elder.

"Sure." Tsuna forced a smile before he quickly left, trying to settle down his unease – or was it Tsunayoshi's?

_I'm sorry. I just do not trust that man._

Tsuna hurriedly walked down the stairs, almost tripping as he made his way through the office, nodding at the woman and edging back into the hallway. By this point he was sure he was almost running, but that was mostly out of Tsunayoshi's feeling of unsettlement that was rising through him.

He had actually broken into an outright sprint when he careened headfirst into someone and almost fell back had a hand not reached out and snagged his collar.

When he lifted his eyes to the face of the person he had bumped into, his throat closed up for a brief moment as his nostrils flared. His mind had gone considerably silent.

And then he realised there was screaming. It took him a little while longer to realise that it was _him_ screaming, before Tsunayoshi was back and scrambling for any sort of chance of control, shrieking his own rage and indignation.

"_Bermuda!?"_

"It is nice to see you too, Sawada Tsunayoshi-_kun."_

The bandages covering that abhorrent man's face stretched in a grim representation of a smile.

* * *

I am incredibly sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but A Levels are incredibly stressing and time consuming. There is a _lot_ of work to it, more than I thought to be honest haha.

I also have insoles, have had to revisit the doctor's for stronger painkillers and I may be referenced to a pain clinic to help everything. So, some things are getting sorted out I suppose.

Not much to say here other than apologies. Lots and lots of apologies and that I hope this chapter is up to scratch.

I realise that, in the flashback specific to this chapter that is, some of it seems quite dark. Do you think that justifies that perhaps this story might have to be changed to 'M' for that reason? I'm afraid it might get a little brutal for the 'T' rating if I carry on the way I am haha...

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 0  
- Reborn: 17  
- Fon: 8  
- Skull: 1  
- Luce: 2  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 8  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 11  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 3  
Hibari Kyoya: 14  
Lambo: 2  
Dino: 3  
The Varia (Particular member?): 1  
- Xanxus: 9  
- Squalo: 1  
- Belphegor: 2  
Giotto: 8  
G: 1  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 9  
Daemon: 2  
Enma: 5  
Byakuran: 5  
Basil: 2


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted!**

**Sleepdeprived91 **(Okie dokie! That's one for Reborn!)

**Robin G. Fellow **(I feel slightly sadistic writing out parts for Tsuna but I can't help it lmao. He just tries to be a naturally laid back person so he doesn't hurt people – if you remember from the first chapter how scared he was of unleashing his magick because of the danger it posed – and because of his limited experience, he doesn't really know how to be cold, just indifferent since he isn't too sure how to react.

Of course Reborn is always planning. It would be Reborn otherwise lmao. And feel free to vote again! I don't really mind!)

**Kagami no Basuke **(I'm just going to have to thank you for your review. I love getting long reviews, they make me happy for some reason to read them and see how big they are lmao. I love F27 as much as the next person, and while this story is going to have elements of everyone at some point or another, I can't see it coming to a final pairing lmao...if it ever ends, (because this story is just spiralling out of control) then I might have to make it ambiguous so the readers can just pretend it's the person they wanted him with lol.

Fon is definitely one of the better parts of Tsuna's life lol. In my opinion he's one of the key components that's keeping Tsuna from having a breakdown or something drastic that would damage him. Well, he's already had a breakdown, but Fon showed up to prevent it progressing at any rate.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that it brings in so much emotion haha...? Either way, I'm glad you like it. In my opinion it jumps all over the place and I can't do anything to fix it but so long as it's enjoyable, I suppose that counts. I just try to have good English and flowing sentences so it makes sense for the most part.

Yes! Hibari is difficult and I hate him for that. I want to make him nice, because 1827 but I _can't_ and it frustrates me and...I'll just casually vent for a while but I agree that Fon and Alaude are easier to write, Fon more than Alaude.

Thanks for reviewing again and hope you enjoy this chapter!)

**Mangopudding **(Sorry, but no Hibari this chapter! Some Fon though – and plot development? I don't really know anymore lmao... – hope you enjoy the chapter and sorry it took so long to get out, and I don't think I'm planning on much more gore than what's already present in the last chapter and this one. Hopefully it won't get any worse...lol. Glad you liked it though!)

**Shanagi95 **(Is Bermuda's appearance too soon? Should I have expanded on and left it until later perhaps? I thought it was going slow, so I wanted to shove him in there and get the story rolling faster again but if it's too soon...

I agree, Tsuna's life is awful (and I'm the one that made it that way, I'm a horrible person) so acting out towards people would seem almost natural, no? Trust issues would most likely do that to someone, though I can't say from personal experience.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!)

**Akainokami **(Enjoying the view from back there? Hehe, and yes, Reborn does appear to have a lot of fans. Seems he's a favourite for whatever reason.)

**BrokenBlackCat **(It does seem to be going badly for him doesn't it lol, though that's my fault as the author haha...He has lots of people to look out for him though, don't worry!)

**XxShadowFangxX **(I wanted to make it as awful as I could and seemed to have succeeded. Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I just like having a cliffhanger here and there! Hopefully this chapter isn't as bad, and glad you liked the last one!)

**SoulVrazy **(I'll probably get round to developing relationships between Tsuna and characters like Enma but as for couples...I have absolutely no idea which way the story is going in regards to that. I've listed Romance as a genre of the story, but haven't managed to include much if at all any of it!

And yup! Bermuda at last!)

**ShamelessDilettante **(Wow! I'm glad to know you've been here since the beginning and thanks for the review! Unfortunately life is catching up quicker and quicker and ugh. Sometimes I feel like crying and giving up everything but that could be a mix of things which just come together at the wrong time. Back pain, depression from tablets, exams etc.

Glad you enjoyed the chapter! Happy that you like my writing style as well; I personally feel that it skips all over the place and I feel nervous when I skip the perspective between characters in case the style changes with a different character.

Tsunayoshi definitely wanted to hit them! Probably to within an inch of their lives, respectively, before sitting down and having a therapeutic cry with Tsuna while Iemitsu sat there awkwardly and patted his back in apology. It would have brought about too many problems if Tsunayoshi had hit them though, so he controlled himself.

I love Arcobaleno/Tsuna as well and if I had the time would probably write a story for them some day because the urge is too great lol. Reborn and Fon is in this one and voting is still fine for any chapter at any time! It's more of a rough guide to me to know who to try and get in haha. Not that I'm good at sticking to it, the story just goes by itself)

**Tenshi-Oujosama **(Glad you liked it and here's the next chapter! And, well, as realistic as a magickal AU can be, right lol?)

**Chi-tanda **(Glad you loved it! Here's the next one and I hope the wait wasn't too much. Good couple of flashbacks here lol. **YOU'RE THE 300****th**** REVIEWER! HAVE A ONESHOT OF YOUR KHR PAIRING CHOICE, ON THE HOUSE!**)

**Codebamboo **(Probably not as loud as me when I saw them all in the first place! I almost shrieked out loud, though I couldn't see that going over well.

Unfortunately (it's my fault, actually lmao) Tsuna and Tsunayoshi have to go through lots of trouble. Glad you liked the chapter, here's the next one, and sorry about the long wait!)

**KEWOB **(Sorry about the cliffhanger! And I wasn't back for long lmao. Hope you enjoy this chapter!)

**Saki-nee **(You're welcome! Sorry about the long wait!)

**Quinn1989 **(I don't know when that'll happen, if it all! Timoteo, maybe yes, and then I suppose he could go off and tell Nana and Iemitsu. Tisn't really their fault for not knowing though, not really, it was something unprecedented and out of their control – they thought they were doing the best when they were actually condemning their young son to what was essentially torture.

Don't worry about the rant. I understand what you're saying. As parents, they were abhorrent, but in the end it wasn't their fault. They thought it was the better alternative. Tsuna gave no inclination, when he returned the first time, what happened, just that an accident happened – the scar across his front – and he didn't have it known any other way, eventually taking it as the truth himself. In fact, they probably don't know anything about his stint at Vendicare, just that he came back covered in bandages like a mummy and that he still had Tsunayoshi floating around and that time they chose someone more trusted – namely Timoteo – to help Tsuna this time.

Thanks for the review regardless and sorry about my own rant!)

**SkylerxXxSetsuna **(Haha, sorry!)

**ILoveAniManga **(Depends on how dark the next couple of chapters get, neh? Lol, thanks anyway for the opinion. I think I'll keep it T. It isn't as if I'm writing anything exceedingly explicit)

**Sachiel Angelo **(Sorry for grossing you out, I just wanted to get across the severity of what Tsuna went through while at Vendicare – and I wanted to make Bermuda more hated lol. Yup, the man of the hour himself is here! His entrance wasn't too soon, was it?

Personally, I don't know if the insoles work, just that I have to get them renewed every six weeks and that the podiatrist thinks that I might need surgery on my feet just in case. On the bright side, it lets me wear trainers in school since the insoles don't fit normal school shoes lol.)

**XxKatelynnexX **(He was treated pretty awful, huh? In fact, I don't think awful really covers it...but a tragic backstory allows for comforting, am I right? And I'm glad you liked the Tsuna Tsunayoshi moments haha.

Apparently I'm not allowed a 3DS unless I buy it myself, and with all the awesome games coming out for 3DS I'm gutted (I'm mostly interested in the Kingdom Hearts game, Rune Factory 4 and the newest Harvest Moon) that I can't play them. Maybe if I'm nice I'll get one for Christmas or something, but that seems so far away lol...I'll just have to live with the xbox and normal DS Lite lmao.

Don't worry about the length of your review, it's perfectly fine! It's like having a conversation lmao)

**The Kyuubi Maiden **(I was wondering why I had two reviews the same until I read the explanation lol! It's perfectly fine haha.

I feel somewhat better, but I'm just taking it day by day at the moment so I'm sure I'll survive.

I'm not sure anyone likes Bermuda at this point, so I'd be perfectly content to let you and Tsunayoshi bash him around lmao, if you're able to.

At any rate, here's the next chapter, sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoy this chapter like you did the last!)

**berrysplashQT **(And here's another one! Sorry it took so long though, lol...Hopefully you'll get some answers in this chapter, but I can't promise anything.

Enma isn't here, but maybe next time? However long that may be haha...)

**Taira-Keimei **(You're welcome! Here's another!)

**xxxKimi-chan **(He's still sweet when he wants to be, but he's gotten to be very mischievous, copying the actions of our naughty kitten – who, now I think about it, is appropriately named Loki lol – and so he likes to jump onto the cabinet and climb behind the TV which is frustrating – Loki almost broke the xbox too, but breaking a snowglobe on it somehow! But both are still very sweet cats. We named him Smudge because of the smudge under his chin.

I'm glad you liked the moment between them! I was going for sweet. Tsunayoshi is so stiff and cold all the time, it felt nice to write him out being almost gentle for once, even it was out of a traumatic experience that he had suffered.

I was thinking about keeping it T and then reasons like yours crop up and I don't know anymore...maybe I'll keep it as it is until someone actually complains. I'm not sure many people would have worried about it unless I'd asked.

Well, sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter for you! And, just so you know, Tsunayoshi is **never** going to leave. It's more a case that he can't. I don't think I'm spoiling anything since it's been mentioned vaguely before, but Tsunayoshi is more than just another personality, he's a manifestation of the magick that Tsuna has bottled inside of him. With Tsunayoshi, Tsuna would break apart from the raw force inside. Basically, they can't live without one another. Sort of bittersweet, huh?

Thanks for the review! You always leave long ones lol))

**Boredenoughtowriteastory **(Well, I'm glad you were a sent a link and I'm glad you both like it! Hope you continue liking it, and here's the next chapter!)

**Tiger723 **(I'm happy you like it so much and here's another update! Sorry it took so long though haha)

**Animebaka14 **(Sorry for taking so long to update, but at least it's here now, right? Lol...I'm glad you like the story so much and yup, rivalry between Fon and Reborn, however subtle.

And Bermuda had his reasons for doing what he did to Tsuna. They were most like selfish and sadistic reasons, but they're there all the same.)

**SelfcreatedCharacter **(I'm assuming you prefer Reborn over Fon then? And who knows what Bermuda wants? (I should, but I don't, not entirely, still working it out). Either way, here's another update, hope you enjoy it and, while there's Reborn, there's no Enma or Viper/Mammon yet, sorry!)

**Pokermaniac039 **(Glad you liked it and here's the next update!)

**GamerzHeaven **(Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you're liking it and the way that their past is portrayed. Sorry for taking so long for this chapter though.

About Fon, I think he's just more worried for Tsuna and no doubt the thought of pursuing a relationship is far from his thoughts at the moment. I'm hoping – considering it's a genre that this story is listed under – to get more romantic sort of elements into it at some point)

**Wolf1989 **(I think I wouldn't mind talking to someone outside about problems. The thing is, I feel guilty about complaining or even about calling it a problem and so I struggle to talk to people around me, like my friends or family. I even feel guilty talking about it on here, but sometimes I feel better to just type my feelings out in an author's note that nobody who knows me personally can read.

Sorry, but Belphegor isn't in this chapter, and neither is Daemon, but I'll try get them in sooner or later. I think it would be funny to see someone's reaction at a person like Belphegor brazenly and openly admitting his attraction/affection towards Tsuna without a care for everybody else's reaction. Perhaps when the whole Bermuda fiasco is resolved for the moment, then I can focus on writing more lighthearted, almost romantic chapters so people can get their pairings seen lmao.

Thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy the chapter!)

**Tujing **(That was almost like a jinx huh? Lol, back and then gone again. Hope you like this chapter! Little bit of Fon in here!)

**Stalker01 **(I'm glad you liked it. I don't have a favourite KHR pairing. I'm happy with pretty much anything to be honest lmao, 7227 and 8027 included. Here's an update! Less of a cliffie this time!)

**Narutofweak **(At the moment the story's taken a somewhat serious turn, so I can't get many characters in unless it's pivotal so I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for some of them! Good thing you're bias for Mukuro, he's in this one quite a wee bit towards the end!

I have to try and get Byakuran in more, definitely lol. Here's the update!)

**Minatoiiiiii **(**Ch 3.**I had to get really close to count the amount of i's on your penname then lol! And yes, I find Mukuro to be a bit of a closet pervert – at least, that's how I brought him across haha...

**Ch 12. **I'm glad you like it this much! And okie dokie, I'll put G down for you – but is that for Tsuna, or for him and Giotto or what...? Because I'm not sure I could develop relationships on the side like that, not with how Tsuna centric this is turning out to be lmao...

As for Reborn and Tsuna, I'm trying to take it slow; building a relationship like one would normally. Yes, Reborn might eventually end up in Tsuna's bed to calm him down during the night, but no, I don't think it would go much further until later on or even at all, sorry, so you wouldn't be seeing it anytime soon.

Thank you for the review and here's an update!)

**AnEdgyTeenager **(I'm glad you liked it! I understand that it's really subtle though lol, it's hard to build a relationship when the other half is living inside your head...but maybe you'll take comfort in the news that nobody knows Tsuna as intimately as Tsunayoshi does lmao?

And don't worry about the length of your review, I like them when they're long, it means you like a lot about the chapter/story! Hope you like this chapter too!)

**Ezcap1st **(Some people are saying M and others are saying T so I think I'm going to leave it as it is until I receive a complaint. And yes. Bermuda is creepy.

I took them and, in my opinion, failed pretty awfully – the way it works though seems pretty flawed. We're working with a GCSE mind on A-Level material which is completely new and expected to complete examinations on it within two months. Most people did bad somewhere or the other during them)

**Guest **(Oh, does it come across like that? I know Fon worries for Tsuna, but when Reborn mentioned relationship, he meant in general, not as in romantically...Fon cares and sure, it'll probably/maybe develop but he doesn't want a romantic relationship just yet haha...sorry for the confusion)

**xXImScaredXx **(Sorry for the long wait but here's the update! There's finally a next button for you to click lol! Like I've mentioned before, life is crazy and will be for what feels like the rest of my life – this year of A-Levels, next year of A-Levels, Uni applications etc...ugh. Future.)

**Tsuri-born **(It happens occasionally, yes, but that's because it's either a good place to stop or I've lost inspiration and, after a little cleaning, have decided that the chapter is as good as it's going to get. I write the entire chapter out by itself before including any author notes or replies to reviews. Thanks for the suggestion! I'd have no idea how to go about creating a forum though, haha...

Glad that you like the story and here's the next chapter!)

**Frostfire613 **(Glad you find it interesting! Some Mukuro in this one!)

**He-who-runs-into-walls **(I'm not sure whether or not I agree lmao. I agree it's good at any rate!)

**Asian0music0lover **(Glad that you like it! Here's the next chapter!)

**Ramaxy **(Sorry, no Christmas update and no Lambo, but here's an update! Hope you enjoy it!)

**Sharp1e **(I have no idea if there is ever going to be a main pairing, considering I seem to be lacking anything vaguely romantic in the latest chapters – in my opinion anyway – as I said, I might make it an ambiguous ending (when I get there/if I get there) so the reader decides who it might be lol)

**PetiteSkylark **(I don't like Bermuda either, but I needed an antagonist, and he's a good one for the moment hehe. Reborn and Fon are here, both of them!

Hope you enjoy the chapter!)

**TsunaFan247 **(Sorry, I couldn't help the cliffhanger! But I hope this update makes it worth it...? Thank you for hoping I feel better soon and I hope that you are well too!)

**WhiteAnxiety **(I'm glad you think the story is interesting! Tsunayoshi is quite blunt with how he feels – it's because he thinks it's his fault that Tsuna suffered so much and he feels guilty about it; he wants to make it up to Tsuna – and so everybody gets the brunt of his hate lmao.

Here's an update!)

**Charm13insomnia **(**Ch 3.**Thank you?

**Ch 4. **Nope, he doesn't, does he lmao.

**Ch 7. **I'm assuming that you've read situations where's he's not quite up to your standard? I just tried to keep him in character lol. I'm afraid that I'm making people OOC anyway.

**Ch 9. **Glad you liked it!

**Ch 12. **Sorry for worrying you that it's been so long since updating, but here we go! An update! Real life just caught up for a moment. Hope you like this chapter!)

**Jalika123 **(Okie dokie, Reborn vote!)

**Otaku908 **(**Ch 2. **I suppose you like Fon, huh? Lol

**Ch 12. **Okay! Votes for Fon, Reborn, Hibari and Enma! Here's the update!)

**A Hell Hound And His Masters **(That's still a work in progress lmao. I'm wondering myself how it's going to be incorporated into the story with other than Tsunayoshi being a silent support. Just think of it this way – he's always with Tsuna, more so than anybody else, and knows him the best!)

**Ramaxy18-chan **(Here's an update! I'm glad you like it so much! Sorry about the cliffhanger, but sometimes I can't help myself. I hope the chapter makes up for it!)

**Cecilia Beth **(I'm sorry for putting you in turmoil but I'm immensely glad that you came across it and decided to read it! Thank you so much! Sorry that it's left in progress, but here's a chapter for you! Any better?)

**MattieMicBrownWilliams **(I was actually thinking of making chapters dedicated just to Tsuna's new friends showing him off to their social cliques – Reborn and Fon taking him to meet the others, Xanxus interested enough in Tsuna to haul him out of the classroom again just to present him to the Varia lol. I'll put your choice down!)

**Fon3 **(**Ch 1. **Glad you like the story, I'm pretty sure you've seen Fon since this chapter lol!

**Ch 12. **(Fon's in this one! Might be a little brief for you though, but he's here! Thanks for reviewing!)

**Deathlover25 **(Your review reminded me of a film me and my sister used to watch years ago lol. Here you go! Another!)

**Smileintothechaos **(Thank you very much!)

**Chapter Thirteen – Reminiscing**

_After the first meeting, Tsuna didn't see Bermuda for several weeks. Those weeks consisted of fitness tests, blood tests, tests, tests, tests and so many needles. So many needles._

_Bermuda's visage was still as nightmare inducing after two months than it had been the first time Tsuna had seen the messily bandaged face that the elder possessed._

_When Bermuda walked into his room – _prison cell_ Tsunayoshi had hissed when they'd first been thrown into the small space – Tsuna squashed himself underneath his excuse of a bed, hoping that he wouldn't be found. All he could hear for a long moment was his own breathing and then he squealed in fear, his throat too dry for a proper scream as a hand wrapped tightly around his ankle, fingers overlapping because of the skinniness of his limb._

_Tsuna desperately grabbed onto the leg of the bed, hoping he wouldn't get dragged out. The resulting yank caused a blaze of pain in his calf and he was forced to let go of the bed, skidding out on his stomach in front of Bermuda._

_He flinched when hands moved to his sides and lifted him; though all that happened was that he was sat on the bed, Bermuda lowering himself to sit beside him._

"_How are you feeling, Sawada-san?"_

_Tsuna cringed at hearing Bermuda talk, before he nervously twisted his fingers into his lap and whispered, "I want to see my parents."_

"_You aren't allowed to see them until you're better, Sawada-san. I heard you weren't cooperating with your doctors. Do you want to tell me why?"_

_Tsuna swallowed thickly, breathing heavily through his mouth to belie the rising panic he was starting to feel as he spoke again, "They're hurting me. It hurts what they do. I don't like the needles, or the little knives. I want to see mama."_

"_We're trying to help you Sawada-san. The doctors are helping."_

"_But they _aren't_ helping. They just do the same things over and – " Tsuna's head snapped to the side with the force that Bermuda backhanded him with and Tsunayoshi started clawing for control. Tsuna gave it willingly._

_Tsunayoshi twisted himself around and threw himself at Bermuda with a screech of rage, clawing and scratching at the bandages that covered the man's face, magick crackling along his fingers. Bermuda wasted no time in gripping both of Tsunayoshi's hands in one his own._

"_Tsunayoshi. It's nice to meet you again. What you did wasn't very nice. Are you willing to explain why you won't cooperate with the doctors?"_

"_You're a monster! A monster!" Tsunayoshi screeched as he started thrashing and trying desperately to pull his hands free. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks but refused to let his weaker emotions overrule him. _

_Bermuda gave him a violent shake, black Flames that made Tsunayoshi's stomach twist skittering along the hand gripping onto the small boy's wrists._

"_That wasn't very nice Tsunayoshi. But, now you're here, how about we see about getting you some treatment? Tsuna doesn't need you. You're too dangerous for him." _

"_You're the dangerous one!" Tsunayoshi hissed, even though his vision was blurring and his hands were burning, _burning, _in pain from the tainted Flames that brushed his skin. As Bermuda moved his hand to strike him again, Tsunayoshi took the time to spit at Bermuda, thinking it was well worth it even when blood bloomed in his mouth and his vision turned dark as the hand struck his face and the black Flames surged into his mouth and up his nose._

* * *

It took Tsuna a while to realise that the metallic, iron taste of blood in his mouth was because he was nearly biting through his tongue and had already split skin. His limbs had locked up and he was frozen in place as he watched Bermuda. He felt numb as well, as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice, stealing all sensation from his body.

"I take it you remember me then?" Bermuda asked and Tsuna shuddered with loathing at hearing his voice. A moment later, he sank back into his mind to let Tsunayoshi drag himself forward. Almost instantly, Tsunayoshi let his arms flare violently orange and he threw himself at Bermuda, fist aiming for the man's jaw. Bermuda merely slapped his arm down and out of the way, neatly sidestepping the second arm Tsunayoshi had brought up to try and strike him with.

"What are you even doing here?" Tsunayoshi screeched at him, spinning on his heel and not even relenting in his attempt to hurt Bermuda.

"I happen to know Iemitsu personally, Tsunayoshi. How do you think I knew you were here?" Bermuda casually caught Tsunayoshi's wrist and twisted the brunette around, forcing his arm up and behind his back.

Tsunayoshi heard the crack before the pain registered, and then agony was burning up his arm. He hissed between his teeth, trying to free his limb, but couldn't move it far enough to get enough leverage before Bermuda was forcing him onto his knees.

"You're lying," Tsunayoshi snarled it, trying to ignore the twist of betrayal in his stomach and the flinch of Tsuna who was huddled, aware, in their shared conscience at even the thought of their dad, as mistaken as he had been in the past, could have betrayed them in such a way.

"If I was, then why would I be here? Iemitsu knows I'm here, Tsunayoshi." Bermuda leaned towards Tsunayoshi's ear. "But, to be honest, the reason I want to be here? I want to know how you got out. How you got home. And most of all, to take you back. What you did – what you are - is abnormal, Tsunayoshi. I just suppose I want to hear the story in your words. All I have to remember of the incident is a blaze of destruction and bloodstains."

"Good luck getting anything out of me," Tsunayoshi gave an almost hysterical laugh before jerking his head back, grinning wildly as he heard the crunch of Bermuda's nose and the muffled curse. As soon as the grip on his arm was loose enough, Tsunayoshi tore free, biting the inside of his cheek as it jerked his broken limb in a direction that made his vision spot black and almost made him crumple.

He didn't even wait to see if Bermuda had even been seriously damaged before he was running down the corridor as fast as he could force himself, magick bubbling within him and focussing on his pain, doing its best to repair his arm and eliminate the distraction it was causing.

Tsunayoshi tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach that occurred as a result from realising that, for whatever reason, Bermuda wasn't even attempting to catch up to him or stop him at all. Somehow, it was much scarier to know Bermuda was watching him run, rather than giving chase.

When he reached the dorm room, slamming the door and locking it, chest heaving in heavy breaths, he shoved his hand into his mouth and bit down on his fingers, desperately trying and failing to stifle his sobbing. He wanted to be strong for Tsuna, for himself. Regardless, the tears ran down his cheeks and for a long, gut wrenching moment, he felt like he was in danger of being sick. Slowly, he managed to stumble over to the sofa and collapsed onto it, barely even wincing as his broken arm was jostled. It was at an awkward angle, his elbow jutting in a direction it shouldn't because of how it had begun healing.

Staring at his arm for a long moment, Tsunayoshi finally let himself break down and hunched over, body heaving as he cried in fits and bursts only interrupted by his need to breathe in deeply.

* * *

Tsunayoshi didn't remember falling asleep, but he was woken up by the sound of the lock in the door turning over. Without a second thought, despite the discomfort of his body and the grittiness of his eyes, he threw his good hand out in the direction of the door and felt grim satisfaction when the wood exploded, chips of it flying out in various directions.

Relief hit him hard when he recognised the startled and angry swearing, and he briefly wondered when it had gotten to the point that hearing someone other than Enma or Tsuna made him feel both safe and happy.

"What the hell was that about?" Reborn voiced angrily as he walked into the room, the soft scrape of wood being pushed against the floor sounding. "Honestly, why did someone jury-rig the door to explode?"

Tsunayoshi let his head rise up at that moment, and he met Reborn's eyes as the elder looked towards the movement. Immediately, a grim smile crossed Reborn's face as he saw the orange eyes and he muttered, "Ah, so it was you, huh?"

"I need your help," Tsunayoshi promptly and primly replied, sitting himself up further on the couch, and watched as first confusion then suspicion crossed Reborn's face. Reborn slowly folded his arms, letting an eyebrow arch up in question.

"Oh, so you need my help do you? What with?"

"I need you to break my arm and pop it back into place before the damage is irreversible and the bone strengthens itself with magick against further breakage." Tsunayoshi kept down the urge to smile at the unhinged disbelief on Reborn's face as he tried to fit everything together. Eventually, he walked into the room and sat on an armchair, elbows on his knees as he stared at Tsunayoshi. Tsunayoshi had twisted around to face Reborn as he moved until he was back to being comfortably sat on the seat. Purposefully, he moved his broken arm to settle across his thighs, showing off the obvious distortion in its shape.

"How on earth did you achieve that?"

"Oh, it wasn't all by myself. Don't be stupid." Tsunayoshi sneered. "It was – " and then he faltered, unsure if he should go ahead with naming Bermuda as the culprit. Finally, he muttered, "Remember what you asked Tsuna the other day?"

Reborn stared at them before it clicked and he suddenly lurched to his feet, his ring flaring wildly with bright enough Flames that Tsunayoshi had to duck his head to avoid blinding himself.

"Where is he?!"

"Saw him about halfway down the corridor leading to the main office. He broke my arm and I fucking _ran_ for it. Now I'd appreciate it greatly if you could break this for me, because I'm starting to find it hard to blank out the pain for Tsuna."

Reborn was gritting his teeth when he approached and gripped the broken limb, ring flaring as he abruptly jerked it to a loud crack. Tsunayoshi felt his eyes water as his vision splotched black and then the pain started to fade under Reborn's fingers when he let his Sun Flames skitter across Tsunayoshi's skin. Reborn didn't let go of his arm even when he must have known the healing was done.

"It should be better. Do you know if he's still in the building?"

"I don't. What part of 'ran for it' didn't you understa – where are you going?" Tsunayoshi winced briefly at the crack in his voice but didn't begrudge himself feeling frightened. Reborn, however, seemed more shocked by it, twisting to face him with an unsure expression from where he had stood and walked towards the door.

"I was going to find Bermuda, Tsunayoshi. Why do you need to know?"

"Because I'm afraid, Tsuna is afraid, and if you walk through that door I will break something. Preferably your goddamn legs so you can't get away, so sit the fuck down."

"I can't wait here while Bermuda is out there, Tsunayoshi. You've looked after yourself well enough before, haven't you? In fact, I'm pretty sure being by yourself is what you crave the most, aside from having Tsuna's presence with you."

"If you leave, what's to stop Bermuda finding us while you're gone, Reborn?" Tsunayoshi moved to twist his fingers together on his lap, jaw stiff. He could feel his magick crackling restlessly within him and hear Tsuna whimpering and sobbing in his mind. "What's to stop him getting us and dragging us away? I obviously can't stop him if he overwhelmed me this easy, I barely got away! I – we – don't want to go back there Reborn. Tsuna's so scared I think I'm going to choke."

Reborn's mouth twisted in a grimace, though he replied, "But what if I find him while I'm gone?"

"Can you honestly take him on? Can you take the risk of him coming here and finding us at our weakest time and...Don't you dare leave us. If you won't stay for me t-then stay for Tsuna. Please" Tsunayoshi all but spat the word out, unused to pleading, but the sincerity in his voice made Reborn hesitate before he sighed and sat back down next to the brunette, resting an arm across his shoulders which he was surprised wasn't shaken off.

"If you need me to stay, I will."

"I hate the word need, but unfortunately it happens to apply here." Tsunayoshi let himself slump into Reborn's side, startling the elder with his closeness and willingness for physical contact. "He brushed us aside as if we were _nothing."_

"Did he attack you first?"

"No. Tsuna stepped back and let me attack him first. Hell if I was just going to stand there and let him talk. His words are poison and just hearing them is enough to make the strongest person falter."

Reborn shrugged the shoulder that Tsunayoshi wasn't leaning against and muttered, "Can't say I blame you there. What was he asking for?"

"How we got out in the first place."

"And how did you do that?"

Tsunayoshi snorted. "Just because I'm in a good sort of mood towards you doesn't mean I'm going to start spilling my guts. We did what we had to. I got us out. End of story. I don't want Tsuna to go back through that."

"You intentionally keep things from him?" Reborn sounded startled and Tsunayoshi rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. Do you know how frightened he would get otherwise? How disgusted he could be? He asks me to hide the worst from him and I do. Nobody would want to relive a past that bloody. Tsuna is delicate, despite my abrasive attitude. He's soft, easily bruised like the petals of a flower, and I don't want him damaged again, especially when this time I can prevent it."

"Are you going to tell me what happened while you were in there?"

"Torture beyond your wildest dreams, Reborn. My very own slice, no _circle, _ of Hell that I couldn't crawl my way out of before it grabbed me by the ankle and _yanked_ me back down. There are several dozen different types of drugs that can be used to forcibly keep the mind aware and the body awake but unable to move, Reborn. Use your own imagination to supply the rest. It still probably won't be as bad as what we went through. Perhaps, one day, if you still want to hear, I will regale you of stories of how they tested our healing capabilities with knives and tainted magick."

Reborn's jaw noticeably tightened and his hands clenched, before Tsunayoshi, uncharacteristically, reached up towards the hand resting on his shoulder, smoothing the fist out with his fingertips almost tenderly and held it with his own, ever so gently. When Reborn shot a slightly startled look to his face, he was met with chocolate brown eyes peering up at him through long lashes.

"Ah, Tsuna...did he let you back out himself, or did you ask?"

"H-He didn't want to talk anymore. What he and you were talking about was upsetting me, anyway." Tsuna scooted across the sofa and Reborn dropped his arm willingly away from his shoulders, getting ready to move, because he assumed Tsuna no longer wanted him close. He was surprised, however, when Tsuna chose to then lie down, cheek pressed against Reborn's thigh, head facing the rest of the room as Tsuna curled his arms by his chest.

Reborn let his hands hover unsurely in front of him before he settled one on Tsuna's side and the other in his hair, almost petting the unruly locks. Several minutes later he was rewarded by the sound of Tsuna's breathing softening as the young teen fell asleep.

* * *

_He didn't know how he'd mustered the energy to do this much. Adrenaline or anger, perhaps. He was certain something had snapped inside of him, releasing more magick than he thought he was capable of in his tortured state. He was still sluggish, however. The chemicals pumping through his veins made his movements slow and almost uncoordinated. A scientist with Rain blue hands rushed at him. With a wave of his left hand, then man was sent careening into a wall, head bouncing off the solid surface to the sound of his neck snapping._

_Oh, he may be sluggish, but Tsunayoshi was _pissed.

_Another scientist. Tsunayoshi remembered this one, the one that liked to test their healing capabilities ruthlessly, mercilessly. This one begged when Tsunayoshi came to a stop in front of him, dropping to his knees and clasping his hands together, babbling nonsensical pleas to the small boy._

_Tsunayoshi crouched down and let a smile twist his lips into an almost friendly visage. The man seemed reassured by the expression, though his relief dropped away from his face when a small hand was placed on his chest. He was shaking his head in desperation when the blood first began to bubble up his throat and out his mouth, dripping down his chin._

_When the body collapsed, Tsunayoshi stepped over it without another thought, wiping his bloody hands on his flimsy shirt._

_He sharply glanced over his shoulder at a scuffing noise and then there was a sudden blaze of white hot _painagonyhurts_ across his conscience from Tsuna, a warning he'd been injured somewhere – Tsunayoshi himself had gone numb as soon as he had finally managed to wrest control for the first time in months, years. _

_(Too long, it had been far too long since he'd heard Tsuna whispering to him, asking him for help or just as someone to talk to. All he could remember was a black pit of nothing, nothing.)_

_Turning his head back around, he peered down at himself, head cocked to the side at the long wound that had appeared extending from shoulder to hip, red blooming across his shirt, slick and warm where the blood dripped down his skin and he moved his hands to cup underneath the flow, red staining his already darkened hands. The smell and taste of blood was clogging, metallic, and it was thick in his hands as it dribbled from between his fingers._

_He lifted his eyes and narrowed them upon seeing the Storm user opposite him down the corridor that, formerly pristine white, was now stained mostly with blood other than his own for once._

_Tsunayoshi started approaching the man, ignoring the whimpers that Tsuna would give off with every painful step. When the Storm user lifted his hand, he didn't have time to duck out of the way as the wound in his chest tore itself even deeper and, this time, even Tsunayoshi felt the ache strong enough for him to have to choke it back._

_Tsunayoshi waved his hand harshly, arm lighting in flames, and the Storm user – a burly security guard, one of the ones that had treated him cruelly – was forced to his knees as Tsunayoshi approached, one of his hands hovering over the injury in his front, prompting the healing process to quicken with a small prod of softer magickal flames._

_His other hand was clenched by his side for seemingly no reason until the soft choking noises of the guard was heard as Tsunayoshi stopped in front of him. He slowly loosened his fingers as the guard started breathing again and he moved to press his hand to the man's face, fingers splayed enough so he could see a terrified eye between his digits._

_He closed his eyes as he felt the warm blood splatter his cheeks and drip from his chin, letting the now limp body of the man in front of him slump to the floor, a majority of his head missing.._

_His chest was still burning in agonising pain and he focused on finding an exit, stumbling down the endless corridors, throwing aside dozens of men and women that rushed at him, blowing open every door he encountered, splattering surfaces with the blood of the not so innocent._

_Tsunayoshi had almost given up escaping when the next door he came across gave way to an expanse of concrete, the courtyard of the compound, and, more importantly, the blue sky that stretched, infinite and vast, dotted only with a handful of clouds, the sun shining brightly._

_Sinking to his knees, hands clasped together tightly on his thighs, Tsunayoshi turned his face to the sky, closed his eyes and, for a moment, was content to just let Tsuna weep enough for the both of them._

* * *

Tsuna woke up with a keening noise and was instantly shushed, feeling a hand stroke up and down his side as another combed through his hair, warm breath by his ear as a familiar voice murmured, "It's okay. It was just a bad dream Tsuna. You'll be fine."

"R-Reborn?" Tsuna croaked, squinting his eyes open as one of his hands fluttered desperately to his chest, an unspeakable relief in him at noticing the lack of wound. Pressing harder with his fingertips, he could feel the ridge of the scar that marred his skin and a sob, unbidden, escaped him.

Reborn's arm around Tsuna tightened ever so gently as he leaned over, bowing his back almost unnaturally to soothe the brunette again, unsure of what the other had experienced but knowing better than to press on the matter. He couldn't help the frown that crossed his face as Tsuna turned his head minutely to softly whimper into Reborn's thigh, body shaking ever so softly.

"Tsuna is awake then, huh? Glad to see he is okay."

Reborn looked up from his comforting of the small teen to face Mukuro, who was stood in the doorway leading to the kitchen, holding a glass of water in one hand, and a mug of something steaming in the other. At his questioning look, Reborn nodded, slowly moving his hands to Tsuna's shoulders and reluctantly guiding the sniffling Sky user to be sat up. When Tsuna was upright, Reborn slipped an arm around his back and pulled gently.

Tsuna allowed himself to be pulled and slumped into Reborn's side, not even protesting as Mukuro made his way to sit beside him, keeping him wedged between the two elder males. When Mukuro offered him the glass of water, Tsuna realised how dry his throat was and drank from it as fast as he could without choking and, when that was finished, he accepted the mug and gave back the glass, taking a tentative sip from the steaming cp and sighing, almost throatily, at the taste of the hot chocolate.

"Do you like it, Tsuna-chan? I had it specially imported from Italy."

"It's simply wonderful, Mukuro-san. Thank you for sharing it with me." Tsuna took another sip and relaxed into the sofa and the almost embrace of the two men, feeling somewhat comforted. Even Tsunayoshi was complacent in him – though, perhaps that was exhaustion from his extensive control earlier.

Tsuna was suddenly a little lost between memories and what had just recently happened as he stared into the depths of his half empty mug and it took a gentle squeeze of Reborn's arm around him to bring him back to present with a heavy sigh, fingers tightening around his mug as he drank from it again, emptying it with a few more sips. Mukuro whisked it from his hand in a smooth movement to set on the coffee table before Tsuna could even think about doing it himself.

"So you were mumbling in your sleep, Tsuna..." Reborn began quietly. "Did you need to talk about it?"

Tsuna's fingers twitched spastically on his lap and gave a jerk of his shoulders, to which Reborn tightened his arm again, trying to keep Tsuna calm and okay.

"I...we broke out. They managed to take Tsunayoshi a-away for a long time." Tsuna swallowed slowly. "B-Because they'd taken some of m-my – our – magick and i-it made him weak. All I remember was s-screaming and burning, p-people dying and p-pain...seeing the sky for the first time in years..." his voice petered down to a wistful whisper at the end. "I saw the c-clouds, the s-sun, how blue i-it was and we c-cried."

"The first day we met, when you were sat in the nurse's room, you stared out of the window for a long time."

"I-Its freedom." Tsuna whispered and fell silent again, lifting his hands to press to his face as his body trembled weakly. "Being able to see the sky, that is..."

"Did you need me to walk you to the window?" Mukuro asked almost drably and it pulled a stuttered laugh from Tsuna, who shook his head and muttered, "Knowing Tsunayoshi and you two are here is enough." Slowly, he pulled his face out of his hands, sighing shakily.

"You aren't to go anywhere by yourself until we're certain Bermuda is gone," Reborn suddenly stated, breaking the silence that had followed Tsuna's words, his arm tightening briefly across Tsuna's shoulders again. "I won't deny that Tsunayoshi can no doubt look after you, but since he had the element of surprise and hurt you again, there is no guarantee that won't happen once more. If someone can't be with you, I know how to make sure you're being watched."

"I-I couldn't impose on y-you like that Reborn!" Tsuna protested vehemently, shaking his head almost vigorously. "You have y-your lessons in a different part of the building to me, R-Rokudo-senpai too. G-Gokudera-kun or Y-Yamamoto-kun perhaps, b-but it would be unfair to them...Enma-kun..."

"I'm sure they'd be glad to help. At least, until the threat of Bermuda has passed that is." Reborn shrugged the shoulder furthest from Tsuna so he wouldn't jostle the brunette, though Tsuna made it a point to wriggle his way out from between the two others, moving a hand underneath his shirt collar to rub his shoulder, thumb brushing the ridge of his scar before he glanced to the clock.

"I think I should get back to lesson. Isn't much use of them looking after me if I'm kicked out of the school, right?" Tsuna moved to twist his fingers together, clasping them underneath his chin and Reborn shrugged.

"If it's what you want to do. Or I could tutor you for the next couple of hours and you get the work from your classmates. Yamamoto is in your class, right?"

Tsuna hesitated and then eventually shook his head. "A-Actually I might have a shower and then maybe have a nap. Though..." he trailed off at the thought of a nightmare and abruptly tensed as there was a knock at the door, the colour draining from his face.

Reborn moved his hand to Tsuna's head, pushing it down and using it to stand as well, ignoring Tsuna's murmur of discontent. As Reborn walked towards the door, he held one hand slightly behind him as it lit up with yellow Flames that licked the sleeve of his shirt. With his free hand he pulled open the door and immediately extinguished the Flames, stepping back to let the other into the room.

"Something the matter, Fon?" Reborn caught from the corner of his eye as Tsuna twisted up a little straighter at hearing Fon's name, as if trying to peer over the back of the sofa towards the door.

"Bermuda's been seen," Fon muttered in reply, arms folded loosely, his mouth turned down in a pinched expression, staying in the doorway. "Luce has requested you come to her; she needs all of us."

Reborn rubbed his mouth, covering his frown in the movement before he pushed Fon into the corridor, pulling the door closed behind him.

"She doesn't need me, Fon. She doesn't need any of us, she doesn't need our aid. Bermuda is here targeting _Tsuna_. In fact, he's already encountered Tsuna, who got away with Tsunayoshi's help, a traumatising experience and a broken arm."

Fon's pinched expression tightened further, his face unusually sharp as he let his eyes flicker to the door before he murmured, "Do we let the Chairman know?"

"He probably already does. Perhaps we should keep the rest of it to ourselves. They don't need to be involved with our inside affairs."

"_Tsuna_ is involved our inside affairs."

"He's also the target Fon. Besides, with being locked in a tiny cell for the years he was in contact with Bermuda, it doesn't give him much chance to figure out what the man was. For all he knows, we're just like he is – magickally adept humans. We don't need to tell him what we are. The secret is safe."

Fon sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, suddenly looking exhausted as he replied, "But for how long? Bermuda is going to know some of us are invested in Tsuna, you and I especially. You've even got _Colonello_ talking about Tsuna for goodness sake. Mammon and Skull have seen him too. How far deep are we going to get into this?"

"This isn't a project, Fon. Tsuna is a living, breathing human. He doesn't need to be objectified. It would help if I could figure out how, even with Tsunayoshi, he can hold so much magick in him that he can not only spark someone else's Flame, but it gathers the interest of Bermuda."

"You don't think he's – "

"Vongola? I already have. Giotto's interest and the Chairman...But his files are too weak to go on. I can't find anything on Sawada Nana or Sawada Iemitsu." Reborn shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Go back to Luce and tell her I can't risk going. Bermuda isn't someone to take lightly. He probably won't attack Tsuna in broad daylight, but in his room, with only Rokudo for the next couple of hours, he won't be safe enough."

Fon hesitated and then nodded. "Will you be able to handle Bermuda if he shows his face?"

"Before Tsunayoshi tears him a new one?" Reborn asked almost sarcastically, a slight tilt to the corner of his mouth. "I'll be fine, Fon. If you're that worried, ask Luce if you can come back as well. It doesn't hurt to have an extra person on hand to help should things unfortunately go wrong."

"Has it ever occurred to you that we could leave Tsuna by himself and just focus on Bermuda, regardless of Tsuna's feelings?" Fon suddenly asked, voice soft, and Reborn froze, back stiffening as he spat a reply out.

"Never."

"I suppose that's something we agree on then, hmm? I'll be back later, Reborn."

Reborn watched as Fon folded his hands behind his back and walked away quietly.

* * *

Mukuro glanced up as Reborn came back in. Tsuna was slumped against his side, having fallen asleep again against him and Mukuro simply offered Reborn a blasé smile as he asked, "Interesting talk?"

Reborn let his eyebrow rise in reply and Mukuro gave a soft chuckle, "Don't worry, Reborn-senpai. I'm not going to get too involved."

"So you're implying that you will get involved anyway?"

"Of course. Tsuna-chan is just too interesting, him and Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro lifted a hand to brush his fingertips lightly against Tsuna's face, who made a mumbling sound and buried his face further against Mukuro's arm, brow furrowed. "He's the only interesting thing at this school."

Reborn snorted quietly before muttering, "Do you need help moving him?"

"I'm quite fine where he is." Mukuro faced Reborn again, mismatched eyes narrowing with amusement as the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "Unless, of course, you're uncomfortable with him leaning on me. I just thought it would be nice for him if somewhere was there for him in case he woke up from another nightmare. Oh, look at your face! You're thinking, why can't I just lie him down, or set him in his bedroom and stay with him there, right? Jealousy is rather ugly, Reborn-senpai."

Reborn gave a harsh laugh, "Jealousy? More like concern. I don't trust you, Rokudo. Remember that."

"I know you don't trust me, Reborn-senpai. Tsuna does, though. Maybe not a lot, but obviously enough for this to have happened. Now, how about you sit down and me and you can talk a little about Vendicare. If we pool our knowledge together, perhaps we can help Tsuna-chan, hmm?"

"What would you know of Vendicare?"

"I had a stint there myself. Perhaps even at the same time as Tsuna. Ten, to six years ago he was there, right? Same as myself, though I doubt we would have met."

"I suppose it's worth talking about." Reborn moved to fold himself into the armchair. "You start and I'll fill in your blanks. I assume I know more than you."

* * *

_Tsuna was aware this time, but was only along for the ride, seeing what their eyes could see, feeling what their body could feel._

_Every time Tsunayoshi took a step with their body, fire burned in his lungs and blood gurgled up his throat. It wasn't so much as a walk as a broken stumble. The facility was in the middle of nowhere and it wasn't hard to admit they needed help somehow. _

_Desperately, with what felt like the last of their already limited and depleted strength, Tsunayoshi lifted his arm high above their head, wheezing as the magick flowed up his body and shot out of his open palm, blooming high in the sky like an orange rose. He knew it would alert those in the facility – the ones alive, at any rate. He wasn't against killing more if his hand was forced, despite his exhaustion._

_Tsuna reckoned they passed out for a little because all of a sudden he was blinking his eyes open and there was a white ceiling above him, voices shouting and the squeal of machinery. Trying to move brought on a blaze of pain and he registered a drip attached the crook of his right elbow, eliciting fear and horror at the thought of being caught again._

_Suddenly, he was focused again, trying to struggle, and gentle hands were pushing him down, foreign words ringing in his ears that his magick and Tsunayoshi, as worn out as they were, couldn't work in translating from him. Something cold entered his arm from the drip and suddenly the pain he had been vaguely aware over his panic started to fade, though, thankfully, his consciousness remained._

_A face swam into view, kind eyes and long hair, not one of his tormentors, someone new, someone different. Her mouth moved slowly, in quiet words, and Tsuna shook his head, glad for the absence of pain and now so numb that he was only vaguely surprised when she offered him a sweet smile instead and moved to gently hold his hand before he was whisked away, consciousness slipping through his fingers as he succumbed to almost blissful darkness._

_When he woke up again, it was naturally. There was a gentle breeze brushing against his face and he could chirping, beeping and muffled voices. Slowly he opened his eyes and, immediately, his eyes darted to the wide expansive window next to his bed._

_It all came rushing back to him and he looked around the rest of the room sluggishly, still feeling a little subdued and, when twisting his body, he felt the tug of something tight around his chest. Glancing down at himself, he slowly shuffled to sit up, letting the covers fall away as he caught sight of the bandages wrapped around his midsection, tugging at the top of them gently as he also took note of the bandages wrapped around his arms and fingers._

_There was a soft chiding voice and his attention snapped to the doorway where there was a young woman bearing a tray of – Tsuna felt his stomach gurgle as the smell reached his nose – food and drink. The woman approached and set the tray ever so gently on his lap, moving slowly as if he were a wild animal that might bolt at any moment._

_She murmured something, and Tsuna felt the magick stirring weakly at the back of his mind as it translated quietly._

"_Are you okay? You've been asleep for a few days. I saw you awake and brought you food. Can you understand me?"_

_Tsuna swallowed slowly and nodded, watching as her face lit up._

"_Oh, that's wonderful! We were so worried when we found you out in the forest and so banged up as you were. The surgeon didn't think you could make it, if you hadn't had magick. I'm your nurse, Clarissa. You're in Italy right now."_

"_Italy?" Tsuna found his voice, hearing the panic in his tone and the nurse quickly moved to soothe him. Tsuna couldn't stop the hysteria from rising in him as he quietly said, "I'm from Japan. We're from Japan, I – what are we doing in Italy?"_

_He was aware of a loud harsh beeping and then Tsunayoshi was _there_ all of a sudden, even as the nurse's words faded into obscurity._

_It was barely even a thought, but Tsuna realised he was fainting far too much._

* * *

Tsuna woke from this memory much calmer, easing from sleep into awareness smoothly and easily, without even a discontent murmur. He was warm and comfortable and, after a moment, realised there was a hand wrapped around his own and a side pressed against him.

Blearily opening his eyes, he found it was Mukuro he was leaning against, who was sleeping as Tsuna had just recently been. Tsuna realised he had his left arm wrapped around Mukuro's right arm, holding himself close. Letting his eyes slowly move to his other side, where his right hand was taken, he felt a weak smile cross his face at seeing Fon sleeping next to him, vaguely wondering where the other had come from.

A noise from the kitchen doorway caught his attention and he slowly glanced up to see Reborn watching him, holding a mug of something steaming. Tsuna offered him a smile, too, before letting his eyes slowly close again, slowly shifting to press his cheek comfortably against Mukuro's shoulder, right hand twitching a little tighter around Fon's and feeling a squeeze in return.

At the moment, he was content as he was. Too bad he knew, somewhere deep inside, that it wasn't to last.

* * *

Ohmigod! I got it out! There! A thousand apologies to all of you. As I said, A-Levels were and still are brutal. Failed my initial exams – well, I passed, per se, but with awful grades and, wanting to go to Uni for Veterinary, I couldn't use those results – and so have to resit them in May/June. They were brutal.

That's my excuse as it were. Coursework, theory, practical, and revision upon revision has taken up most of my time and I've been typing out just a couple hundred of words every week or so until it eventually all came to a close this Easter. You cannot believe how sorry I am. Honestly, I am.

That's all I have to say really. Thank you for your continued support and enjoyment of this story!

To be honest, I have no idea where this is ending haha...it's just going off on its own lmao

**DO YOU LIKE ME REPLYING TO YOUR REVIEWS OR IS IT TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE IN EACH CHAPTER? **(Should I PM replies to reviews instead or carry on like I am?)

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 1  
- Reborn: 22  
- Fon: 15  
- Skull: 1  
- Luce: 2  
-Mammon/Viper: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 8  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 13  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 3  
Hibari Kyoya: 16  
Lambo: 3  
Dino: 4  
The Varia (Particular member?): 2  
- Xanxus: 9  
- Squalo: 1  
- Belphegor: 2  
Giotto: 9  
G: 2  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 10  
Daemon: 7  
Enma: 7  
Byakuran: 6  
Basil: 2


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted and favourited!**

**MilkTeaLord **(Glad you liked it and here's another one, out like a flash lmao)

**Otaku908 **(I do have a problem with commas, yes. I can't help it lmao. I like having lots of commas so I don't have too little.

Thanks for understanding! It's all I can ask. I had a difficult doctor's appointment concerning my condition on Wednesday, managed to have good cry, and now I feel better because of it.

You'll be happy to know that I managed to get a smidgen of Alaude and Hibari, Reborn (like always lmao), a wee bit of Fon and a big helping of Luce lol.

Hope you enjoy, and let me know if the commas are still a problem. I tried to cut them down but it's gotten into a habit)

**BerrysplashQT **(Yup, and here's another one, in the same week no less lol. I'm glad you like my descriptions. I try to make Tsuna's past traumatising and I think I'm doing well in that sense.

Sorry, there's no Yamamoto here. Maybe next time? It depends where it's going though lmao.

Last chapter was just over 6,000 words of story, going to over 10,000 with replies to reviews. That only happened because I left it so long to update and amassed so many reviews though. This time definitely isn't the case.

Enjoy!)

**Digimonfansunite44 **(Not much Fon in this one, but here you go!)

**Rinail **(There'll be R27, but I think, if there's an end, then it'll be ambiguous. People can guess who it was at the end and be happy with the choice they made lol. Or maybe I'll put a poll on my page or something. I dunno. Depends.

Feeling bad for Tsuna is a given! S'what I was planning for haha...as macabre as it sounds. Many bad things must happen to Bermuda but, unfortunately, there isn't much we can do. Vent your frustrations at a pillow. Tis good fun.

I am seventeen with the body of an old person lol. Thank you for the support – I hope I get better too. Actually went to see a doctor this Wednesday, and we finally think something's going to be done, because he wanted to take action instead of to just give me painkillers and send me on my way. Exams are brutal. Enjoy your youth. Seriously.

You're going to make me blush if you compliment my story this much lol. There's a little Reborn here – no Asari, sorry. Fon wasn't aiming on being mean. He just wanted to know Reborn's intentions for Tsuna because he's gotten a little attached lmao.

I don't mind long reviews! They make me happy that people want to talk about the story or other aspects so much!

By the way, I thought there was a message in that paragraph or pressure so I ended up picking all the words out lol. Turns out it was nothing, but it still gave me a laugh.

Thanks for the virtual waffles and here's an update!)

**YanKinka **(A vote for Mukuro then?)

**ShioriErz **(I think a lot of people want to hit Bermuda lol. Sorry that you almost cried. Guess that means I'm writing well, huh?)

**Charm13insomnia **(I live! Haha, thanks. I just have to do better in summer otherwise I don't get into veterinary.

I'm glad you like the replies. I like writing them out too. And nope! You don't have to wait any longer, here's an update!)

**Rokito **(Okie dokie! Vote for Mukuro!)

**xxxKimi-chan **(I'm glad you liked the update! Here's another already – this one practically wrote itself, though I feel as if I crammed too much into it.

Tsuna and Tsunayoshi are loveable, no matter how much they try lmao. I like to think of Tsunayoshi as a hissing kitten – you're in danger of being scratched, but he's too adorable to leave alone. Glad that you liked the Arcobaleno hint and R27, R72 moments haha.

This story'll definitely continue, it's just the risk of waits between chapters. I might get time during summer but after that it's the year where we send of UCAS forms and Personal Statements and then get Uni interviews and...ugh, future.

There's a little bit of Giotto here! No Dino (I really need to get him in!) or Byakuran I'm afraid. Maybe soon though!

Maybe from now on I'll start replying to your reviews with PMs and any that I think are long enough to warrant a PM reply instead of a story reply because of how long my response will end up being lol.)

**XxKatelynnexX **(They'll definitely do their best to protect him! Apparently he has that aura in which people can't help but want to surround him. If they choose not to, Tsunayoshi will fight tooth and nail to keep Tsuna out of harm's way.

I think half the reason my mum doesn't want me having one is because I already have the DS Lite and an xbox, and I probably can't afford another distraction at a critical point in my life lol... (I spent the first couple days of Easter completing Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2) so that's probably the reason why. I had to look up the game you mentioned and it looks _amazing_. I just can't get it. OTL.

Tis a fun conversation! Don't mind how long it is, I like replying to them!)

**Ramaxy18-chan **(Glad you were excited for the update, and I hope you didn't frighten your mum lol! Here's another chapter. Hopefully this one won't surprise you as much lmao.

No Byakuran, but there is Lambo! Hope you like this chapter!)

**Saphire644 **(Is that a vote for Reborn or...? lol. I'll put one down anyway!)

**Fiamma-Et-Hikari **(Here's a wee bit of Fon and here's an update too!)

**Guest **(Nah, I'm not sick. I have a debilitating and painful back condition, but I'm just slow with that update because I'd recently entered A-Levels and was preparing for exams – which I didn't do well in lol.)

**SelfcreatedCharacter **(Haha, fair enough. They do happen to have the same face lol. Glad that you like Reborn's jealously hehe. Can you imagine what he might do if he got really jealous? I can't; not quite yet. It'd be interesting to write out though!

And okie dokie for your votes!)

**Chapter Fourteen – Past and Future Inflictions**

Tsuna nervously tugged at the sleeves of his shirt before adjusting his bag strap, nervously peering up at the person next to him from the corner of his eye, just to find that Hibari was staring at him. Swallowing a squeal, Tsuna quickly faced forward again, walking a little faster towards the building. Silently, Hibari kept pace, and Tsuna felt his heartbeat thud in his throat from panic.

At the end of the day, the prefect had been stood in the doorway of the room, glaring at everyone who had scurried by in a panic. Tsuna had tried to follow their example, not wanting to be caught by Hibari – Yamamoto had been at baseball practice, and Gokudera had left earlier for a piano lesson, something which both surprised and intrigued Tsuna.

Instead, Hibari had gripped his arm, twisted him around, and started marching him down the corridor, silencing Tsuna's protest with a single, quite frankly, frightening look, his other hand already sparking purple Cloud Flames.

Tsuna was wondering if it was Hibari's intent to give him a heart attack before they reached the dorm room. It was certainly going that way. And Tsunayoshi, the _jerk_ as Tsuna now dubbed him, was vaguely amused by all of this. Though, as much of a jerk he was being, Tsuna was just glad he wasn't destroying school property or giving Hibari a reason to hurt him.

Halfway across the courtyard towards the dorm buildings, Tsuna caught a flash of gold from his peripheral and wasn't sure whether or not he was supposed to be happy at seeing Giotto approach him, waving wildly and amicably and, inevitably, gathering the attention of other students on the yard, who gaped as Giotto slung an arm around Tsuna's shoulders.

"G-Giotto-senpai," Tsuna mumbled, shoulders shrugging weakly in an attempt to make Giotto let go. "I-Isn't your dorm on the other side?"

Giotto's arm tightened. "I had a talk with Reborn. As school council president, I sit in some meetings with the Chairman, including the one where he introduced a man called Bermuda." His arm tightened again at Tsuna's violent jolt and stifled noise of fear.

"Giotto-sama, please don't wander off. Sawada-san. Kyoya." Tsuna swallowed down Tsunayoshi's contempt at hearing Bermuda's name so he could turn his attention to Alaude and bow weakly in greeting.

"I didn't wander off! I clearly said that I'd spotted Tsuna and was going to greet him. Besides, now I can walk him back to his room too."

"A-Ah, you don't need to." Tsuna shook his head violently, moving to push Giotto's arm away from his shoulder gently. "I'll be fine. I-I'm pretty sure H-Hibari-senpai w-was walking me back at a-any rate..." he risked another glance at Hibari and cringed at the sharp gaze still directed his way.

"I still want to walk with you."

"B-But Alaude-senpai..."

"I will also walk back with you," Alaude simply replied, and Tsuna felt his chance at slipping away and home free shrivel away with those words. At least he knew that Hibari would leave him alone once they returned.

Giotto, however, had no qualms of invading Tsuna's personal space, regardless of Tsunayoshi's feelings, his own Sky Flames one of the only things able to withstand the brunt of the brunette's Flames. Since Alaude would be there, Tsuna had no chance to convince Giotto to leave earlier.

It wasn't that he disliked the blonde; his enthusiasm and excitable nature was refreshing, but it sometimes made Tsuna uncomfortable and that inevitably caused Tsunayoshi to emerge. Tsuna hated dealing with the guilt at knowing he'd hurt someone.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he only came to a halt when Giotto threw his arm around his shoulders again and pulled him back against his chest to prevent him from walking into the door to their room.

"Can't get in without the key Tsuna. What were you thinking so deeply of?"

Tsuna tilted his head back to meet Giotto's eyes and said, without much thought, "Of you." He was confused at the spluttered noise the elder gave, Giotto removing his arm from Tsuna's shoulders and lifting a hand abruptly to press against his face as he looked away from Tsuna.

"R-Really."

"Mmhmm." Tsuna rummaged in his bag slowly for his key, but Hibari beat him to it, gliding into the dorm room without a sound, only giving another sharp look to Tsuna for the trouble.

Tsuna shuddered at the look, quickly ducking into the room and promptly pausing at seeing an unfamiliar person on the sofa. Tsunayoshi was suddenly very present, ready to take control at a moment's notice, should it be someone that was a danger to them.

"Oh, Lambo! Does this mean Lampo is back as well?" Giotto called, recognising the person and recovering from whatever it was that had ailed him, Tsuna noted absently. The person simply lifted a hand in greeting with a noncommittal grunt and a murmured, "What are you doing in my dorm room, Giotto-senpai?"

"I was walking Tsuna back from across the courtyard. This is his dorm room too; you've moved in?"

"Reborn suggested that I moved in here." The young man unfolded himself from the sofa and drew Tsuna's attention, whose eyes lifted first to the black curly hair and then the...horns?

Tsunayoshi slipped back and Tsuna slowly relaxed as the other teen took him in lazily, one eye closed, before dismissing him with a wave of his hand and turning his attention back to Giotto.

Tsuna sighed, dumping his bag at the door and toeing his shoes off before facing Giotto and Alaude as well, hands moving to methodically undo his tie and the top two buttons of his shirt. "Will you be staying for something to drink? Or perhaps even for dinner?" He was only asking to be polite.

"Just a drink," Alaude intervened before Giotto could agree to anything more and he too slipped his shoes off, walking towards the armchair.

Tsuna nodded, smiling at Giotto briefly before he moved to dump his tie on the back of the couch, pausing in the kitchen doorway as he turned to the new intruder, hesitantly asking, "W-Would you like anything, L-Lambo-san?" He used the name hesitantly.

Lambo turned to lazily regard him again before nodding. "Three sugars."

"T-Tea or coffee?"

"Tea." Lambo sank back into the couch again and Tsuna ducked into the kitchen, deciding to close the door behind him so Tsunayoshi wouldn't do anything rash, like dart back into the room and throttle Lambo for being rude.

He set about boiling the kettle, moved to grip the edge of one of the kitchen counters, and ducked his head, staring at the floor before closing his eyes and letting his body shake violently. His skin felt too tight and had for a few hours now. His magick was itching, scratching, buzzing underneath his skin, burning him up.

A piece of the counter broke underneath his hand and he started breathing again.

Tsuna blinked blearily as the kettle clicked to show that it had finished boiling. Hands still trembling gently, he rummaged until he found a teapot, adding a tea bag and pouring in the hot water, before arranging the pot, several cups and a small pot of sugar with a teaspoon as well as a jug of milk onto a tray before he balanced the whole ensemble in his hands, elbowed the kitchen door open and walked to the coffee table, setting the tray down as carefully as he could.

Another shake of his body rattled the cups and he moved to grip his upper arm, ignoring the concerned eyes that had been turned to him by Giotto at his unprecedented movement. Before anything could be asked of him, he muttered something about having to get dressed into more comfortable clothes and he walked into the bedroom, gathering his clothes and moving to the bathroom so he could avoid Hibari. He'd noticed the suitcase on the only spare bed in the room, but chose to ignore it.

It was too hot. He was getting stifled.

He didn't reach the bathroom door before the floor was rushing up to meet him.

* * *

"_Bermuda-sama, it's reaching a critical point. We won't be able to keep it contained any longer if you allow this to continue. We need to neutralise him now."_

_Bermuda stared impassively through the window at the young brunette, who was shackled to the wall, thrashing and gasping in pain._

"_Keep it going. I want to see the breaking point."_

"_Bermuda-sama, the magick is too much. It's beginning to become a danger."_

"_Keep it going," Bermuda replied softly, his subordinate swallowing silently before nodding, turning to face the window again. Tsuna was screaming by this point, but the soundproof quality of the glass and the room he was strapped into prevented any noise from reaching the observers._

_Bermuda pressed a hand against the window, face covered as always and not betraying the emotions he might have been feeling. "So much magick, for a body so small. How do you suppose he does it?" _

"_I-I don't know, Bermuda-sama."_

"_I suppose it's something we can figure out for ourselves. When he's passed his breaking point, take him to OR fourteen and gather our best Mist Flames. I want them to cut into his pathways, and find the source of the magick."_

"_H-He might not survive, B-Bermuda-sama."_

"_Oh, don't be so sure of his demise. Tsunayoshi is such a stubborn little fool. He'll fight every step of the way." _

_The window, where his hand was resting, suddenly cracked and Tsuna's ragged screams were audible. The chains restricting his magick abruptly shattered and suddenly the room was blazing orange, the small brunette's Flames finally given a chance to escape._

"_B-Bermuda-sama, please s-step back from the window!"_

_Bermuda turned to face the man, startling him as the bandages stretched taut in a grin. "Don't worry. I'll fix this mess myself. Tsunayoshi has been unruly the past few days here with his stay. I think I'll rectify that." _

_The crack in the window spread further before the glass shattered and the magick welling out of control from Tsuna washed into the room like an oncoming tsunami; unstoppable, powerful, dangerous._

_Bermuda couldn't help but laugh quietly, his own Flames licking at his hands and arms as he readied himself to face whatever Tsunayoshi had planned for him. He was hoping it would be fun and interesting. He didn't want to waste time on a boring case, no matter how unique it was._

"_**Bermuda!"**_ _was screeched from the small, desecrated room, and Bermuda's chuckles died down as he braced himself from the inevitability of Tsunayoshi coming to find him. _

_He ducked in time to avoid a brightly glowing fist to the face and got headbutted for his attempt at dodging._

_This was going to be fun._

* * *

"Is Tsuna – "

"He just collapsed, I – "

"How long ago – "

"Stop crowding him!" The last voice rung out and registered with Tsuna as he slowly regained consciousness. With a soft groan, he shifted his weight and mumbled, his voice hoarse with sleep, "Enma-kun...?"

"Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Slim fingers pushed his hair back from his forehead and Tsuna sighed at how cool they were. There was a dip to his side and he realised he'd been moved to his bed – Enma was likely sat on the edge of it now. Another hand moved to clasp his own, which was limp at his side.

"I feel rough...warm." Tsuna took in a shuddery breath. "Like my skin is stretched tight..."

"You've been keeping your magick bottled up Tsuna. It's starting to affect you." Enma tightened his hand around Tsuna's, offered a fluttering squeeze in return which prompted a smile from the redhead. "You'll have to let it out eventually."

"S'never happened before." Tsuna murmured, voice catching and slurring on the first word.

"It has, you just can't quite remember yet. Nono-san had his Mist guardian use his ability to seal Tsunayoshi-kun before. Along with him, a sizeable amount of magick potential was sealed too. Now that Tsunayoshi is out, your magick is gathering again. It's always been a problem you've had...it's why...well, it's why Nana-san and Iemitsu-san thought that where they sent you to was best."

Tsuna tilted his head to the palm that was settled on his forehead and sighed again when it slid down to cup his cheek gently, fingertips brushing softly against under his jaw. "At least we met you out of the experience."

"Is that you or Tsunayoshi-kun talking, hmm?" Enma asked teasingly, being rewarded with a soft laugh in return by Tsuna, who peered at him with half lidded, feverish bright eyes. The brunette watched his face for a while before his gaze crossed to someone who was behind Enma, confusion briefly crossing his flushed face.

"How long was I asleep for?"

"A few hours at least. You can sleep for a little longer if you want to, and then think about getting your magick reduced."

"Tsunayoshi thinks that unless there's a sizeable chunk of land that won't be missed, we'll just have to let it out in small amounts." Tsuna exhaled and then coughed softly, almost moaning in upset when Enma pulled his cold hand away from his face. He was slowly pulled up to sit by several hands, and then Enma was cupping the back of his neck with his cool hand again, offering him a glass of water with the other, pressing the rim gently to his mouth.

Tsuna took a few unhurried mouthfuls, eyes closing, before Enma asked, hesitantly, "How did...how did _they_ reduce it?"

The brunette's eyes shot open, glowing orange and he pursed his lips, before sneering quietly, "They didn't. They let it build and build and _build _until we reached the breaking point and then ripped it away so it could happen again." He coughed again and Enma gave him the glass, which he thankfully sipped from, ignoring the wince that Enma gave.

Slowly, the orange faded back into brown.

"Tsunayoshi noted that the new one, Lambo-san, is a Lightning Flame user," Tsuna mumbled, once he'd finished drinking, hand clenching softly on the bed covers until Enma took hold of it again, Tsuna squeezing his hand gratefully. "Depending on how strong it is, he could keep us in a bubble, and we expel it that way."

"Wouldn't it be a danger to you?"

"So long as the barrier holds, then no. They're designed to absorb power, right?"

"Yare, yare. Why should I help you?" a disinterested voice called out and Tsuna shrugged weakly.

"You don't have to. Was just a suggestion. Better than destroying property, or hurting people, right?"

Enma squeezed his hand, other arm moving to rest around Tsuna's back to keep him sat up as he offered, "We could fight again."

Tsuna scoffed quietly, shaking his head slowly. "No...no, Tsunayoshi doesn't want to risk us hurting you again. It's more than before, Enma. It burns." His voice dropped to a whisper, and he slumped into the hold that was keeping him supported.

"Lampo could do it," Giotto called out, who had been watching, sat on another bed. "Or, one of Reborn's friends." His eyes drifted to the door where his fellow senior was stood, watching with feigned disinterest.

Reborn chuckled and shook his head. "I think Lambo should do it. A way to test his magick skills after being away from school for so long, isn't that right, Lambo?"

Lambo cringed at the look he was given by Reborn and shrugged, muttering, "I-I suppose I could help...but you'll owe me Reborn!"

"Then it's settled." Reborn smiled almost wickedly at Lambo before turning to look at Tsuna, who was watching him. "When do you need this to happen?"

"As soon as possible, really. Ah, Tsunayoshi says we might need Colonello-senpai there. His Flames would be needed if the magick slips out of control. Yamamoto-san could help but...he's most likely busy with sports, and we don't know if his Flames are strong enough yet." A contemplative look stole across Tsuna's face before he was coughing again and there was a sudden sparking by his head which promptly 'popped', shaking the furniture in the room and cracking the glass in the window.

"There's a mostly disused field towards the back of the building, can you make it there, or do you need to be carried?" Giotto called across, and Tsuna swung his legs out of the bed slowly, pressing his feet to the floor before he attempted standing. Confusion crossed his face first and then pain, but before he could meet the floor, Enma had caught him and guided him to sit on the bed again.

"You're going to need help Tsuna-kun. As much as I'd like to, I doubt that I can carry you..."

Tsuna slanted a look at him from the corner of his eyes, the colour of them flashing orange briefly with Tsunayoshi's indignation before he muttered, "He won't stand for us getting carried."

"Neither of you can stand at all." Reborn murmured as he walked back into the room, pocketing his phone of which he'd used to call Colonello. "So whether he likes it or not, someone's going to be towing you."

"Giotto-senpai then. He's less insufferable than you," Tsuna deadpanned before he started coughing once more. Enma was the first to duck and the rest of the room followed as there was another pop. This time, the window shattered outwards, and the bed Tsuna was on suddenly broke, the legs giving way as it collapsed to the floor, almost jolting the brunette off had Enma not supported him.

Tsuna offered a smile to Enma before suddenly paling and hacking up a thick mouthful of blood that splattered onto his lap.

The heat was getting to be unbearable.

He was delirious for the next few minutes then, barely feeling the hands on his waist, and barely registering the feeling of weightlessness as he was lifted into someone's arms. He was aware of the pain in his chest when he coughed up another mouthful of blood that dribbled down his chin and settled uncomfortably against his collarbone because of the way he was being held.

He came to after a moment to feeling grass under his palms because of how he was sat and watching something shimmering and green come to life around him, tight and closed, leaving only a space of about a foot either side. Reaching out, he let his fingers brush the closest wall to him and had the breath snatched out of him by the force of the absorption it held.

Tsuna let his eyes drift over to Enma who was crouching outside of the small dome, smiling softly at him as his mouth moved in words Tsuna could no longer hear or begin to understand, not with magick screaming in his ears, rushing through his veins, boiling his blood.

He wasn't sure if something snapped, or if it had broken into a hundred pieces and crumbled to dust, but the Flames left him, no longer under his control, and smashed straight into the sides of his small, makeshift prison, flowing ever stronger, faster which each passing second. From the edges of his awareness he heard a shout of surprise and mumblings of disbelief, but it all paled in comparison to the relief rushing throughout his body as he let the Flames loose.

_Sorry, Tsuna. This needn't have happened if I'd focused on us more. Normally I have the magick doing little things. I've been distracted. I'm sorry._

Tsuna didn't feel as if Tsunayoshi had to be sorry. As he opened his eyes – when did he close him? – he was in the middle of an inferno that no longer hurt, that simply washed over his skin like a soft summer breeze and, surprisingly, made him feel happy and content.

It took twenty minutes, he later found out, for the magick to finally die down to an ember and then extinguish itself completely, leaving Tsuna unscathed and feeling more awake than before, if a little feverish still.

A hand on his arm was the sign that told him it was all over, a gentle grip that pulled him, trembling, to his feet, where he struggled to stay standing.

"T-That was impressive," Giotto admitted, his breath brushing by Tsuna's ear, where he was stood beside him, keeping him upright and supported. "I don't think I've seen that much magick in my life. If the barrier wasn't there, I can't even imagine the scale of damage it might have caused."

"A lot," Reborn supplied sarcastically, approaching slowly, gazing down at Tsuna from a height much taller than Tsuna was used to. Though, now that he paid attention...

Tsuna followed where the intensity of Reborn's gaze was focused and blinked briefly at the crater he was stood in, the layers of ground having been torn back before he slowly turned his head to find Lambo, offering him a smile and a mumbled, "Thanks for helping."

Lambo just shrugged, smiling himself and looking to the side, almost embarrassed, as he muttered, "Was nothing."

"No, it wasn't nothing. I'm glad I didn't hurt anyone or destroy too much and I have you to thank for that, Lambo-san." Tsuna weakly bowed, needing Giotto's help to straighten up again and Lambo simply shuffled, clearing his throat as he blushed.

"Turns out I wasn't needed, kora," Colonello murmured as he stepped to Reborn's side, who had stopped by the edge of the crater. "Still, something really impressive." He pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos, so he could show the others before saying out of the corner of his mouth to Reborn, "Seems a good a reason as any for Bermuda to be after the boy, kora."

Reborn grunted before gesturing to Giotto. The other seemed to understand what he wanted, because he moved his hands to Tsuna's waist, ignoring the soft splutter that the small brunette gave, and picked him up as if he weighed nothing, passing him off to Reborn who set him back on his feet outside of the crater, pushing him against Colonello to keep him upright before he reached down and offered his hand to Giotto who used the support to pull himself out of the hole.

Tsuna apologised for bumping into Colonello as a result of Reborn's shove and was given a grin in return before his attention was taken up by Enma who approached and asked in soft tones if he was okay before giving Tsuna a hug which the brunette happily returned, slumping against his friend as if he needed help to stay up.

"Come on, Tsuna-kun. I can bet you probably need some rest after that."

"Apart from feeling a little weak, I actually think I'm more awake than I've ever been." Tsuna fisted his hands in the back of Enma's shirt to hold him close, more by Tsunayoshi's provocation than his own want, no matter how conflicted he felt over it.

"You should probably still rest." Enma combed his fingers through the soft hair at the back of Tsuna's head, pressing his cheek to the brunette's who twitched but didn't pull away. "We'll go back to your dorm, and if you really can't sleep, maybe we could spar?"

"You'd have him fight after expelling that much magick?" Giotto sounded surprised and felt his lip twitch at the bland look Enma gave him in return.

"Tsuna's magick is constantly building. Even as we speak, it's gathering in him again. Rather than risk facing an incident like this again – something that could easily _kill _Tsuna – it's better to let Tsuna, or even Tsunayoshi, let the magick out in something productive, such as sparring."

"Is that normal?" Lambo suddenly interjected rather callously and Tsuna flinched in Enma's arms as the teen continued, "Are you even _human_?"

Enma tightened his arms around the bristling brunette – the other personality was always more delicate and forward when magick had been used - but couldn't stop Tsunayoshi twisting away from him, advancing on Lambo and fisting his hand in the collar of the cow-print shirt the other was wearing, dragging him down the few inches to his level, his orange eyes narrowed and glowing with anger.

"Do you want to suggest that to my face?" Tsunayoshi hissed, fingers tightening in the fabric even as sparks began jumping across the knuckles of his other hand.

Lambo's visible eye was no longer half lidded with laziness but rather open wide with fright. His hands were twitching at his side and Reborn, noticing the warning sign before the rest of them, quickly stepped forward, reaching out to pull Tsunayoshi back.

He was too late as, with a crackle of Lightning Flames, Lambo disappeared in a cloud of smoke that had Tsunayoshi coughing and backing away, eyes wide with surprise and uncertainty. When the smoke cleared he was dumbfounded at the older man in front of him, his hands opening and closing with confusion.

"Oh, Tsunayoshi-kun," The older man greeted lazily, "My younger self antagonised you then? Yare, yare, you were so excitable at this age." Lambo stepped forward and draped his arms over Tsunayoshi's shoulders, ignoring the flinch that the other gave. "It's good to see you."

"W-What?" Tsunayoshi stumbled over his words, brightness of his eyes dimming slightly as he was unprepared to face this...was it a threat? He abruptly stiffened when Lambo ducked his head to graze a kiss behind his ear and quickly stepped back as if anticipating the fist the brunette tried to hit him with.

"Sorry, sorry, I forget you don't like personal contact yet. My mistake."

Tsunayoshi, for once, looked flustered, hand pressed to his neck where the kiss had been placed, a red flush of either embarrassment or anger present on his cheeks. The rest of those gathered were also stunned into a shocked silence.

Finally, Tsunayoshi screeched, "What the _hell_ was that!" and then launched himself at Lambo, hands flicking in a desperate attempt to get Flames recently depleted to ignite at full strength. He ducked around the barrier that Lambo had brought up with ease but, when he moved to slam a fist into Lambo's face, the older man was engulfed in smoke again and Tsunayoshi went barrelling over his head to crash hands first against the ground in front of Giotto, fingers digging into the dirt and leaving grooves with his Flames as he tried to slow himself down and gather his bearings.

He was suitably confused again when he was met with the teen Lambo once more.

"The Bovino family has a quirk to their magick," Giotto offered, leaning down to give Tsunayoshi a hand which was ignored as Tsunayoshi scrambled to his feet. "When scared or in danger, their magick sparks and allows a ten year time travel skip for a very short amount of time. It's a unique trait, limited just to them."

Tsunayoshi darted his eyes to Giotto at the explanation before baring his teeth in a snarl at Lambo and silently relenting to Tsuna, eyes darkening in colour. When Tsuna was back in control, the brunette nervously shuffled on the spot to stare at his feet, a blush decorating his face before he mumbled something about making his way back to the dorm room to clean up now that it was all over, Enma trailing after him when he left.

Lambo also looked a little embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck silently as he glared resolutely at his feet, trying to ignore the looks that were being directed at him before he too walked towards the Vongola dorm buildings, arms folded across his chest.

* * *

"Do I need to be here?" Tsuna muttered, rubbing his arm nervously. "I don't get why I need to be here."

"Luce wants to see you."

"I don't like being out of the dorm room unless I need to be Reborn. I'm scared." His eyes darted to the side before they focused on the large door in front of him, the Vongola 'VII' dorm building.

"I'm here and there're several people in there that would most likely come straight to your aid should they realise what was going on. Besides, you obviously didn't want to rest and there was nothing for you to do anyway." Reborn rapped his knuckles on the door before pushing it open and calling through, "Luce, I'm here with Tsuna!"

A woman with black hair ducked her head around the corner and smiled brightly upon spotting the brunette next to Reborn, quickly approaching with a murmured, "Reborn! You never told me he was this cute! Oh, I could just take him home with me and keep him!"

Reborn just laughed as Tsuna blushed in mortification and introduced himself in a quiet mumble, clearly surprised as Luce pulled him into a tight hug, something which jolted Tsunayoshi enough for him to be present all of a sudden in Tsuna's mind.

_Sky Flames..._

Tsuna blinked up at Luce, patting her back hesitantly in return, debating whether or he should ask to confirm Tsunayoshi's guess. The other personality was vehement in his decision.

_She definitely has Sky Flames! Strong ones! In fact..._

Tsuna swallowed thickly, fingers twitching before he clenched his hands into fists, trying to prevent Tsunayoshi from attempting anything rash. He jumped when Reborn's hand dropped on his shoulder.

"Well, you've seen Luce. You've already met Fon, Colonello, Skull and Mammon. You know me, obviously. The only people left to see are Verde and Lal Mirch."

"Reborn I –"

"Come on, they're probably here somewhere."

"Reborn no, you d – "

"Stop complaining." Reborn pushed Tsuna further into the building, hearing Luce laugh quietly at them as she shut the door.

"Tsunayoshi is – "

"Going to shut up and stop complaining too, it's not going to kill you to meet some new people."

"_Reborn!"_ Tsuna suddenly shouted it, magick skittering up and down his arm, forcing Reborn to let him go unless he wanted to be burnt. He took a moment to take in Tsuna who was breathing harshly, brow furrowed in either pain or concentration, his mouth slightly parted as he panted.

"You almost burnt me, Tsuna. Careful with your Flames there."

Tsuna moved his hands to tangle his fingers in his hair, slowly sinking to his knees as he tried to stop the barrage Tsunayoshi was throwing at him now that he'd recognised something he should have realised a long time ago.

"Tsuna?" Luce approached, after giving Reborn a warning glance, kneeling next to the brunette, hand resting hesitantly on one of his own to stop him from tugging any strands of hair out. "Are you okay?"

"He says you're just like him! Just like Bermuda, you're just like him, we should have seen it!" Tsuna sobbed it, hands still clamped down on his head. "He _thought_ your magick felt different to others, it's because you're like _him_ and we were stupid enough to trust you!"

"Tsuna – " Luce began but Tsuna gave another broken sob.

"I d-don't want to believe him though! Y-You can't be l-like him, you're t-too nice, F-Fon-senpai and S-Skull-senpai; all too nice t-to be like B-Bermuda but..."

"Tsuna, will you let me talk to Tsunayoshi?" Luce asked softly, moving her hand to settle on Tsuna's shoulder instead, watching with worried eyes as the small teen shook and trembled beyond his control, magick dancing over his form in small sparks.

"He doesn't w-want to talk. He w-wants to hurt you so much, L-Luce-senpai. I-I don't think you're l-like him but..." Tsuna trailed off and went still before he suddenly shrugged Luce's hand off with force, causing Reborn to tense, ready to fight in case one was about to break out.

"I always thought it was too good," Tsunayoshi whispered, head ducked down, hands fisted on his knees now where they'd moved away from his hair, "That we would get this much luck. Turns out you're just the same as him."

Luce moved to kneel in front of Tsunayoshi, hands palm up on her knees so she could show she wasn't going to cause him any danger as she murmured, "Look at me, Tsunayoshi. Look at me and tell me I'll hurt you. Look at my magick or look into my head or heart and tell me I will hurt you, that any of us will hurt you."

"You think I can trust you?!" Tsunayoshi lashed out at her and she caught his fist gently in his palm, their Flames mingling before she gently smoothed his fist flat and intertwined their fingers, letting her magick flow over his skin, using it to show her sincerity, to show that she meant him only the best intentions.

"You don't need to, but it would be appreciated. Have we tried to manipulate you in anyway? Have we done anything to you that were untoward, or put your life in immediate, threatening danger?" Luce slowly lifted her free hand to cup his face gently, her hands still glowing with soft magick, and was rewarded by Tsunayoshi pressing his cheek very gently against her palm as he watched her with wide eyes, hand in hers going slack.

"I-I...no." Tsunayoshi opened and closed his mouth and then pursed his lips. "It doesn't change the fact you lied to us!"

"You never asked, Tsunayoshi!" Luce quickly replied, thumb brushing his cheekbone. "Reborn, Fon, everyone, they've looked out for you, right? Have they ever done anything but help you? Have they hurt you? Me, now, am I a danger to you? Am I hurting you?"

"No," Tsunayoshi whispered, looking broken and confused, clearly disorientated from the situation. "But y-your magick style..."

"Is unique, as is yours, as is your friends'. That doesn't mean we're the same. It was true that some time ago Bermuda was counted as one of our own, but he made his choice. We who stay have made ours. We are not a danger to you, Tsunayoshi. You or Tsuna. In fact, we are some of the only ones that are keeping you safe from Bermuda."

"I-I don't understand."

"You don't need to, Tsunayoshi-kun," Luce's voice was soft, almost motherly, and she placed a kiss against his forehead. "But you have no need to fear us, I promise you, on my Flame, on my ring, on my life."

Tsunayoshi, still bewildered, slowly sank back. When Tsuna came forward again the brunette was freely sobbing and Luce gathered him in her arms, pulling him closer and pressing his face to her shoulder, cradling him close and rocking him gently.

"I do not know what you suffered at the hands of Bermuda, Tsuna, but you will not go through that pain again. He is a twisted individual. You will not face another person like him again in your life, I can promise you that."

"I don't know, that Rokudo figure is close to being just as creepy, right, Tsuna?" Reborn interrupted and, just like that, the tense atmosphere was broken as Tsuna laughed weakly, shaking his head as he mumbled, "Rokudo-senpai isn't that bad, Reborn-senpai. He's sweet when he needs to be. Creepy, y-yes, but sweet."

"If you say so. I still find him creepy."

Tsuna sighed as if in defeat, but he had a shaky smile on his face. Slowly, he leaned back from Luce and she let him go, watching as Reborn hauled the brunette to his feet while Tsuna rubbed his eyes and sniffled heavily.

"I'm sorry Tsuna." Luce said softly as she too accepted Reborn's help to stand. "We aren't lying to you and had no intention to. We won't hurt you. I promise. We all promise." She reached out to touch the hand hanging by his side and when he didn't pull away, slipped her fingers between his.

When he appeared calm, she smiled softly and asked, "Do you want to meet Verde and Lal Mirch now? I hadn't realised you'd met a majority of the others. What order did you meet them in; do you remember?"

Tsuna chewed his bottom lip in thought. "Reborn-senpai, first. Tsunayoshi likes to blame him for this whole mess, but, without him, he wouldn't be here. Then, Fon-senpai? T-There was Skull-senpai next and then Mammon-senpai after that. R-Reborn introduced me to Colonello-senpai; he keeps Tsunayoshi calm with his Flames whenever he gets out of control from training. Then you, Luce-senpai."

"Sounds like you have an interesting life Tsuna-kun," Luce laughed softly, slowly pulling him along and letting him take in his surroundings.

The Vongola VII dorm was built differently, Tsuna noted. More like a house instead of a dormitory. Luce noted his interest and softly explained the small amount of people chosen to live in the dorm because of their magickal style. They whole group had been close for years and so they had always stayed together in the same dorm. The Chairman had allowed them to change it to suit their needs.

Tsuna quietly commented that he found them lucky for having their own rooms when he had to share with Hibari and Mukuro and Luce laughed again as she slowly pulled him into a kitchen, noticing from the corner of her eye as he brightened at the room's only other occupant.

"You came to visit then, Tsuna?" Fon asked softly as he placed his mug down. "Or did Reborn drag you along?"

"I was dragged, unfortunately," Tsuna replied quietly. "And though it hasn't been an enjoyable experience, it's nice to see you."

Reborn gave a grunt and cuffed Tsuna gently around the head, to which the brunette froze for a moment before sighing and giving a quiet laugh which was when another woman with dark hair and a scar on her cheek entered the room, tense and with fisted hands.

"Luce." She trailed off for a moment, eyes drifting to Tsuna before she focused on Luce again. "We have a problem."

"A problem? Now, now, Lal Mirch. Is that such a way to introduce me?"

Reborn immediately threw an arm across Tsuna's shoulders from behind, pulling him first against his chest and then pushing the frozen brunette behind him at recognising the voice.

Lal Mirch snorted, looking as if she was trying to hold back a snarl of contempt. "You're always a problem, Bermuda. Don't forget that."

"Ah, how cruel. When I came to visit as a guest as well." Bermuda stepped into the doorway, peering around the room quietly. "Luce, Reborn, Fon. It's good to see you again." He moved to tip his hat absently, peering past Reborn as he smiled. "Oh, and Tsunayoshi-kun too. What a pleasant surprise."

Tsuna fisted his hands in the back of Reborn's jacket and trembled.

* * *

The last chapter was difficult and this one was easy, which was a nice transition. Besides, isn't it a nice gift to get two chapters within the same week instead of waiting for months for another update? I'm surprised with how fast this one came out, so you're pretty lucky to be having one.

I'm worried that there's too much going on in this chapter, but it seemed to write itself. I was just having fun, and I wanted it to be a little lighthearted and not too dark. Hence meeting twenty something Lambo (Lambo's in his mid teens in this fic) and motherly Luce, because Tsuna and Tsunayoshi always need someone to look after them x3

Also, some 0027 lol, for those of you that like it. L27 as well, now that I think about. There could be other pairings some people might see, but I don't know lmao.

Hope you liked it!

(By the way, I was hoping to make a new story if I get the time. It'd be more humorous than this one. At this rate, any story I wrote would probably be funnier than this one lol...definitely not as dark

I haven't figured out a title, but here's the summary

**Two weeks after his twenty fourth birthday, Tsuna came to realise that over the past ten years he'd steadily been amassing a harem of men. Of course, by then, it was too late. CRACK. TYL-Verse. All27.**

So what do you think?)

Arcobaleno (Particular member?): 1  
- Reborn: 23  
- Fon: 16  
- Skull: 1  
- Luce: 2  
-Mammon/Viper: 1  
Yamamoto Takeshi: 9  
Gokudera Hayato: 3  
Rokudo Mukuro: 15  
Sasagawa Ryohei: 3  
Hibari Kyoya: 17  
Lambo: 4  
Dino: 5  
The Varia (Particular member?): 2  
- Xanxus: 10  
- Squalo: 1  
- Belphegor: 2  
Giotto: 10  
G: 2  
Knuckle: 0  
Asari: 0  
Alaude: 10  
Daemon: 7  
Enma: 7  
Byakuran: 8  
Basil: 2


End file.
